Cancel my Relation
by TigreMalabarista
Summary: When a relative comes to reconcile past ties, strange things start happening to Aidan and others. Little does anyone know the true danger ahead. Rated T for language, violence, situations.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: When a relative comes to reconcile past ties, strange things start happening to Aidan and others. Little does anyone know the true danger ahead. Rated T for language, violence.

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It was a rather rainy morning at Whitney High School, as a young man entered the building. He went to the main office and approached the secretary. "Welcome to Whitney High. How can I help you?" said the secretary.

"Yes, I'm here to visit one of the teachers. Her name is Aidan Hinkley."

The secretary frowned slightly. "Miss Hinkley wasn't expecting visitors today."

"It's a surprise that Mr. Hinkley set up. We're relatives and I wanted to surprise her," said the man. "He already agreed to it and said to come in this morning."

"Oh, I see. Well, she's in the jewelry lab, and that's in the third building," she said, pointing out the directions.

"Thank you," said the man, leaving. The secretary turned to do her work and realized the man forgot to sign in. She headed to the door and opened it. "Excuse me sir, but you forgot to…" but the man had already turned the corner. She went and called Aidan's room, but not getting an answer, realized the young teacher might have been outside working on a project with the class. The secretary then went and got one of the student aides to go over to the classroom.

Unbeknownst to everyone though, a stranger was outside at the school, waiting for the right time to complete his hit. Little did he know that his prey could fight back, thanks to a suit that looked like pajamas, but contained many powers.

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The jewelry room was a bit noisy as Aidan finished hammering a bracelet and showed it to the class. "OK, so that's how you use the pommel to make a hammered bracelet. Any questions?" she asked.

"Miss Aidan, why do we have to learn this type of project," said Marci, groaning slightly. "I want to do a cast piece."

"Well… two reasons. One, this is part of the course, and will help you learn how some older pieces of jewelry were made and two… the acetylene torches are out of commission until the pipelines are repaired," said Aidan simply.

"Couldn't you bring your tanks here," asked Xavier, wanting to work with fire as well.

"Nope, because the Sup said if I brought my own equipment and something happened it's my liability," she said and the class groaned. "Besides, I don't want to risk something happening to you guys if something goes wrong. Now… less talk, and back to the lesson. After you sand the edges of your project, you'll take it to the Tripoli wheel …"

As she was talking, the man entered the room and smiled at seeing the young teacher teach. It had been quite a few years, about 12 since he had last seen Aidan.

Hearing someone enter, Aidan turned around. "Yes may I help you," she said.

"Hello Micah, how are you doing?" he said with a smile.

The class frowned, especially when they saw Aidan pale slightly. She recognized the voice, and was remembering the last time she saw the man. The last time they saw each other, it wasn't pleasant.

"I'm sorry sir, but you have the wrong room," said Lance, keeping an eye on Aidan to make sure she was all right.

"This is Micah Onyxsard… sorry Hinkley's room isn't it," said the man.

Before Lance replied, Aidan regained her composure and walked forward. "No, my name is _Aidan_ Hinkley and this is my classroom," she said a bit coldly. The class looked at each other, wondering why she was being unfriendly toward the man.

"I'm sorry, I forgot you wanted to be called Aidan," said the man. "I wanted to see if I could talk to you…"

"Please leave," she said bluntly, and the class started getting concerned. Lance gave a look to Lauren, who snuck out of the classroom to head toward the office and get help.

"Why? Can't you see I want to talk to…"

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As the showdown continued, Ralph was walking down a nearby hallway to his office. He had just been talking with Superintendent Knight about the problem with the gas lines in Aidan's classroom and the science labs again, and to his disdain, found out it'd be another week before the lines were functioning again. He knew both departments wouldn't be too happy, but it was either wait or risk some potentially disastrous results if there was an explosion.

Just as he turned the corner, Lauren ran right into him and fell to the ground. It was one of the times he was a little glad to not be wearing the suit anymore. Otherwise, she could've really been hurt. "Lauren, take it easy. Where's the fire," he said jokingly as he helped her up. He became concerned when she didn't laugh. "What's wrong?"

"Mr. H, I need you to come with me. Miss Aidan's pretty upset…"

"Oh, don't tell me Mr. Knight's already come to the room to tell Ade about the gas lines," said Ralph groaning.

"Huh?… No, it ain't Knight. It's some guy who came in and called her Micah Onyxsard."

"Micah Onyxsard?" said Ralph, confused as to why anyone who called her that would want to talk to Aidan.

"Yeah, he corrected it though, but she still looks pissed off about…"

Ralph just started walking, and Lauren, confused, followed. As the two arrived near the room, he started to hear arguing. "If you don't leave now, I'm going to call security and have you arrested for trespassing," said Aidan with a fury that Ralph knew she was more than just "pissed off."

"Aidan, I want to …"

"Damn it, you're not listening. You're disturbing my class. Get the hell out of my classroom and off the school grounds now."

Before the man responded, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw it was an older man. "I'm the principal here at Whitney. What's the problem," said Ralph, giving Aidan a look to stay quiet until he could figure out what was going on.

The man took a look at Ralph, trying to place where he knew him, but continued. "I wanted to talk to Miss Onyxsard…"

"_Hinkley,_" growled Aidan, adding softly as he erred in her name again, "Moron."

"Sorry, I wanted to talk to Miss _Hinkley _about reconciling and taking me back as part of her family," he said, and Aidan blinked in surprise.

Ralph too was quite surprised and continued. "Well, Mr. …"

"Dylan Onyxsard," he said, finally recognizing Ralph. It had been 12 years since he last spoke with the man. "You should know that Mr. Hinkley."

"_Dylan,_ Aidan's not exactly happy to have you here," said Ralph in his mediator role, silently thankful Aidan hadn't lashed out first, given she was wearing the suit.

"Damn straight," said Aidan. "You don't have a visitor's pass and if you don't leave, I'll have you arrested."

"But…"

"Don't 'but' me Dylan. Still stubborn as a jackass…"

Ralph understood Aidan's feelings, but he knew he had to play principal to her right now. "Aidan, I understand you're upset, but if you continue, I will have to suspend you for your behavior," said Ralph warningly. Though Aidan doubted he'd do it, she nodded and listened.

Ralph, realizing she quieted down, turned to Dylan. "She's right though. You don't have a pass and she's asked you to leave. I won't call the police right now, but I will if you don't leave in the next five minutes."

Dylan nodded, a bit reluctantly. "All right. I'm sorry to have bothered you at this moment Aidan. It was a bad judgment to come and visit this morning, but I'd like to chat with you at another time, perhaps this afternoon," he said, offering a card. When she wouldn't accept it, Dylan put it on her desk and left the room.

Aidan glanced down and sighed as the adrenaline rush faded. Her mind drifted off again to that time 12 years ago when she last saw Dylan…

Once he was sure that Dylan had left, Ralph turned around. "OK, he's gone. Aidan, listen…" he said, pausing as he looked at Aidan who was standing about seven feet away. She had turned pale as a sheet and she started to sway.

Ralph became alarmed when she mouthed one word... "Lance, Xander help Aidan to the ground - right now," he ordered. The two, a little confused turned and saw what Ralph noticed. They grabbed Aidan under the shoulders just as her eyelids fluttered and she started to sag, semiconscious. As they lowered her to the ground, Ralph went to get a box from her desk. After putting her feet on the box to elevate them, he went and got a soda from the minifridge in Aidan's office.

"Miss Aidan, are you all right?" said Marci as Aidan rubbed her face with one of her hands. Aidan could only give a mumbled reply, concerning the others.

"I think she had delayed reaction to the shock is all," said Ralph instead gently as he went over to where the young woman was. He put a hand on shoulder and very gently shook it, partially for comfort and partially to see if she had completely fainted. "Just take it easy there Aidan…"

"I should say so. Creep scaring her like that calling her Onyxsard and all that nonsense," said Sean, shaking his head.

Becca spoke up. "It's not nonsense," she said simply but firmly, much to the others' surprise.

Ralph looked up. "She's told you?" he said curiously. He knew that with a few rare exceptions, Aidan normally kept that part of her life quiet from her students.

"Yeah, told me a while back when she and I had a heart-to-heart," said Becca sadly, remembering that day when Aidan told her that secret. It helped her make a decision to keep the child she was carrying, only to suffer a miscarriage when her former boyfriend, Jon, beat her.

After recovering in the hospital, she kept going over to Aidan's to share stories. In Becca's case, it was to get over the loss of her child and ensuing emergency hysterectomy to save her life. Aidan, however, was dealing with rage and other festering feelings.

Though Becca didn't know, Aidan almost beat Jon up when she found out it was him who assaulted Becca. Normally not one to even threaten someone with a slap, part of the problem was Aidan went back to the night when she had been kidnapped by an illegal porn ring and tried to use her in one of their movies. Tony helped her get through both nights, but the feelings still lingered for a time.

The principal nodded just as Aidan sat up, leaning on her elbows. "Are you feeling OK?" said Ralph as he helped her sit the rest of the way up.

Aidan nodded. "Is he gone?" she said simply as she made a motion to stand, only to be stopped by Ralph.

"He is sweetheart, but you need to stay sitting down for a minute. You almost passed out," he said simply as he handed Aidan the soda.

Lance and the others frowned. "Miss Aidan, who exactly was that guy? And why did he call you Micah Onyxsard first before Hinkley?"

"Because that was my birth name, and he was, note the emphasis, part of my family," she said. Seeing the kids' looks, she realized it was time to tell them about her past and why she changed her name from Onyxsard to Hinkley. Though the class understood why she had never told them about her Dad's side of the family, given they disowned her, Aidan could only wonder why the man wanted to reconcile with her after so many years of claiming she was dead to them.


	2. Chapter 2

Later that afternoon, as classes ended for the day, Aidan walked over and gathered her items. She looked at the business card Dylan left, and started thinking. It had been quite a few years since she had really talked to anyone on her Dad's side of the family.

At first, when he arrived Aidan didn't recognize the man. She knew though, whenever anyone called her Micah first, it was probably someone who was from that family. Aidan's parents chose her name because it meant "fire," and felt it fit because she seemed to have a unique fire in her eyes when she was born. Micah was selected as her middle name because it was her paternal grandmother's, first name.

While most people called her Aidan, the Onyxsards always called her Micah. No one on her dad's wanted to call her by her first name because it didn't seem "eloquent" enough to fit the family. Aidan's parents knew this was more because her mom had chosen the name, and her dad approved it to be the first name. In recent years she was tempted to ask for one more name change, to remove Micah as her middle name, but decided against it because it now remained the only tie to her dad's side that her parents chose.

She had never been really welcome to begin with, as her dad's parents never accepted her mom, who was Ralph's sister. After M'Lynn and Austin's deaths in a car crash when she was nine, Aidan moved in with Ralph and Pam per her parents' wishes. When it was read in the will that this was to happen, the Onyxsards completely disowned her, though they never really care about her.

Most of the time, she just was ignored at events and holidays - if not being bullied by the older kids. Christmas was always the hardest for her, especially come time to exchange the gifts. She would have to sit with the family watching her cousins open up many presents, some expensive, but she'd receive things such as socks - if anything. While Aidan would accept them gratefully, she knew little thought was put into them, as though they were given only to show that she wasn't "excluded."

Dinner was also miserable, as the others would push her out of the way when they were getting dinner, and a few times the kids would tip over her plate. When it fell to the ground her cousins, aunts and uncles would blame her and force her to clean up the mess that the other's made. They would also try to deny her refilling her plate, but after her dad would tell them the truth, they reluctantly would do so. She also always sat at the kid's table, which was fine… except most of the cousins got to sit at the family table. One or two might join her briefly, but they didn't speak much with her if at all.

Needless to say, when her family left the Onyxsards, she could only count the miles on the drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles so she could see Ralph, Pam, Nala (or her grandmother, Paula Hinkley), and the rest of her mom's side of the family. Those days seemed to pass by too quickly, especially the day they'd visit Disneyland, but it was those days that made Aidan feel even more loved than she always did visiting her dad's side.

Despite her general feelings about the Onyxsard side of the family, not everyone was cold toward her. Her grandmother on this side of the family, Misha, didn't care about who Aidan's mom was or how much money was earned in a year. Unlike her husband, who was the only one of the two who disapproved of the marriage and had died not too long after Aidan was born, she saw a young girl who was being treated worse than dirt.

Each Christmas before Aidan's family left, Misha gave her a piece of jewelry - the one thing that none of the others received - that would reflect what she had read in letters Aidan sent to her. Some pieces were simple, but others included gemstones, usually in alexandrite, Aidan's birthstone. This continued for many years until Misha went to the nursing home. …

"So, are you going to call him or not?" said a male voice, causing Aidan to jump and start to throw a punch. Fortunately, she pulled her punch midway when she saw who it was. "Hey, don't shoot. You'll knock me through a wall," he said, flipping her the peace sign.

"Sorry, Ralph. … I've been thinking, and I don't know if he's serious or not."

Ralph coughed slightly. "Well, he was serious enough to not sign in and get a visitor's pass from Sarah before going to your room," he said simply. "He told her that this was a surprise visit."

"Some surprise. Don't penalize her though, she didn't know about Dad's family," she said.

"Well, I did have to warn her about making sure to give the visitors ID badges first, but in this case, I think it was good if nothing else to give a reason to make Dylan leave," he said as Aidan finished gathering her supplies and put on her jacket. "But, you didn't answer my question."

"I've thought about calling him this evening, but I don't know. They could decide to disown him too if he's serious about reconciling. If I were him, I wouldn't want to lose my inheritance," she said with a slight cynicism in her voice.

Ralph frowned as the two left the classroom. "Aidan… money's not everything you know. Given some of the stuff that happened back then, I can safely say money doesn't necessarily make a person happier. Maybe Dylan's realized it and wants to resurrect a 'ghost.'"

"True," she said, then changed the subject. "Anyway, the kids aren't happy the gas lines are still bum though."

Ralph chuckled. "Still wanting to play Hephaestus there huh?"

"Well, they are in a way with the hammer and pommels, but I think they feel hammering stuff isn't nearly as exciting as flames and fire scale," she said, laughing briefly.

The two continued talking and headed toward the parking lot. No sooner had they stepped in the parking lot did the two see a car sped down the path toward them. Aidan, forgetting she was in the suit, tackled Ralph and the two dove out of the way a split second before the car could hit them. It continued to careen down the road as though oblivious to what it did.

Aidan, realizing she was lying on top of Ralph - who was groaning slightly in pain - sat up and helped the man sit up. "Ralph, are you OK?" she asked.

"Fine… but a little sore from you pushing me out of the way like you did. I think my ankle's sprained too since I was turning when you decided to be a linebacker," he said, touching the collar of the suit around Aidan's neck. "You really need to be careful of the suit's strength Ade. Can't afford you knocking me out again playing 'save the principal.'"

Aidan rolled her eyes slightly at the inside joke. She had to save him one time after school when some of the football jocks - who were removed from the team for doping - decided to attack Ralph. While between the two they were able to subdue all of them, Aidan inadvertently tapped Ralph into unconsciousness as well in the fight, thinking he too was one of the players. She was so embarrassed it happened, she bought Ralph ice cream at their favorite ice-cream store to make up for it… for the next week.

Seeing Ralph shake his head and chuckle, she knew that he also was remembering that day. "Well, at least I know you're coherent," she said jokingly as she stood up… and noticed a weighted envelope on the ground. Ralph frowned as she walked over picked it up. "Any vibes on it?" he said as Aidan toyed with it.

"Nope, I bet the turkey was wearing gloves. The suit seems to not be able to pick up vibes when they do that," she said as she opened it. She paled as she read the contents.

"What does it say?"

"'Next time ya won't be lucky. You're going to pay,'" she read out loud. "No doubt it wasn't an accident, but why try to mow us down at a school with a bunch of witnesses?"

Ralph frowned, growing concerned not just for his goddaughter but for the students who could've been there instead. "I don't know, unless it was to show they know where you teach. I think we'd better get home as soon as possible."

Aidan nodded and changed into the jammies. "What are you doing?" said Ralph a little panicked at her changing in broad daylight. He stood up and looked around, and sighed in relief that almost everyone had already left for the day.

"Getting us home as soon as possible," said Aidan as she finished stuffing her clothes in her purse and handed it to Ralph. "Now, hop onto my back and I'll give you a lift."

He looked at her skeptically. "I don't know, Aidan…"

"Listen, I know you're leery of flying now as a passenger, but I know what I'm doing. Besides, I don't want to risk there being a bomb on either of our cars at least until Tony and the FBI can check them out. Better safe than sorry," she said. Seeing the man still balk, she continued. "If you're too afraid, I can carry you in my arms. You know I won't drop you that way."

When the man hesitated once more, Aidan shrugged and picked him up in her arms. Ralph, realizing he was going to fight a losing battle with Aidan if he kept arguing, sighed. "OK, I'll hitch a ride, but I think it'd be better if you flew with me on your back," he said, and Aidan set him down. He then straightened up, favoring his left ankle. "At least that way I can bury my face in your back if I get scared."

Aidan only laughed, and after picking up Ralph in a piggyback carry, took three steps and jumped, taking flight. As they flew, the two started talking about the day and wondered what was going on. Aidan had one thought though: someone was out to kill them, and it was someone from their past.

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As he continued driving, the driver of the car frowned when he saw that the two Hinkleys had dove to safety before he could hit them. He knew that his boss had placed a hit on one of them, but seeing the other, he figured it'd be a way to kill two birds with one stone.

The man's cell phone rang. "Jackson," said the man.

_"Did you do what I wanted," _said the voice on the other line. Not hearing Jackson respond, the man grew angry. _"Let me guess, you missed them."_

"They dove for cover, and I didn't have time to turn around. I could tell they were trying to get the license plate number. I realized if I didn't leave then, the devils would be on my tail."

The man on the other line growled in anger. _"Damn it, you better do better next time or I'll see to it you wind up being the one visiting the devil," _he shouted before slamming the phone down in Jackson's ear.

Realizing his client wanted nothing less then perfection on the hit, Jackson decided to head back to his hotel room and plan attack two. Though he had to wait for his boss to say where they were going to be next, he wanted to make sure the next time there was no escape from the hit.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, didja get at least the color of the car guys," said Tony a bit tiredly as he listened to what happened to Aidan and Ralph.

"No, Ralph and I hit the deck and the car sped by, trying to figure out who wanted to turn us into road pizza," said Aidan. They were at her apartment waiting for Pam, who had to finish a trial session before she could come over and help.

Ralph was seated on the loveseat icing his mildly sprained ankle. "Did the FBI find bombs under Ade's or my cars?"

"Nope, they were clean, but it might be best if ya carpool together for a couple of days until we nab this bum," he said, then looked at Aidan, smirking a little. "And, next time when ya get done for the day, Ade here can use the fancy underwear and make sure there are no bombs under the car herself."

"OK, I wasn't thinking but good grief, we nearly were run over," said Aidan before pausing for a moment, thinking. "Tony… do you know of anyone who might have been released from jail that could want either Ralph or me?"

"Not off hand, but I'll look. Maxwell might be able to help out with the stuff he and Mr. H used ta do when he had the suit."

There was a knock at the door, and after looking through the peephole, Aidan let Pam into the apartment. "Hi guys, I came over as soon as I could," said Pam as she hugged Aidan and went over to Ralph's side. Lifting up the icebag off Ralph's ankle, she made a face when she saw the bruises and minor swelling. "Ouch, that has to hurt."

"Tell me about it. Got it when Aidan pushed the two of us out of the way," said Ralph.

"Let me guess, she had the suit on when she pushed you," said Pam and Ralph nodded.

"Well, I'd rather have this than been killed," he said as he replaced the ice bag. "It's not too bad. I can walk on it, but I'll probably need to wear an Ace bandage on it for a few days."

"So, have you guys thought of who might try to kill you?"

Aidan nodded slightly and then thought for a moment, realizing they were missing another possible scenario. "Do you think they might've been after someone else instead?"

"Like whom?"

"Dylan," she said simply. Seeing the others' quizzical looks, she continued. "Listen, I know you're worried here about it being us, but listen. Tony said that as far as he knows no one's after us, and this just so happens to occur when Dylan is trying to reconcile. What if someone doesn't want us to do so?"

Tony shook his head. "Ya think one of the Onyxsards is afta him?"

Ralph even had his doubts. "Sweetheart, he left earlier in the day, and they went after us. And, I know Dylan wasn't the most beloved with your dad's side either, but I don't think they'd kill him. They covered up for him a couple of times."

Aidan smiled softly as she toyed with the card. "I know, believe me I remember the last time we talked, but, former family or not, I'm not taking a chance and letting someone get killed," she said picking up her phone and dialing the number. Hearing it someone pick up, she started to talk. "Hello, is this Dylan? Hey, it's Aidan. I did some thinking, and wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to join us for dinner?"

_"Sure Aidan. Just give me a time and place and I'll be there."_

"OK," said Aidan. "It's the Magnolia Bar and Grill, and we'll meet you there about 7 p.m."

_"I'll be there, and Mi… Aidan, thanks for letting me at least talk with you about wanting to reconcile."_

She coughed slightly. "I'm not sure I want to do it yet, Dylan, but I'll at least listen to what you wanted to say. We'll see you in a couple of hours…. Goodbye."

Hanging up the phone, she turned to the other three. Seeing Ralph open his mouth to protest, Aidan put a hand up. "Don't worry, it's my treat. Besides I owe you guys for letting me bunk at your house after my hospital stay to recover from the plane crash," she said.

"So I haveta pay then," said Tony a bit hurt.

"Well…" she said, and seeing Tony groan, chuckled. "No, you don't. Besides, I owe you more than that. You saved my life."

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Jackson answered his cell phone. _"Listen, I just got a tip from someone about where they'll be next,"_ said the voice on the other line.

"Oh yeah? Where?"

_"The Magnolia Bar and Grill. I found out from a couple of friends and her records that Aidan has a severe food allergy. I need you to set up an accident, and lace her drink or food. Once she takes a sip or bite, she'll go into anaphylactic shock and die."_

"What is it?" said Jackson and he listened to the other side discuss the allergy and plan. "All right, how do I get in there?"

_"I know someone there who can let you in through the back. Just do it so we can get that dough, or you'll wish you were never born."  
_  
The hit man heard the other person hang up the phone, and closed his cell phone. He smiled softly, realizing what he found out would be beneficial to him. "Should be easy," he said to himself. "After all, sometimes foods get mixed up, so in this case, a murder would be simply ruled as accidental." He smiled and headed toward the restaurant, ready to finish this job and get paid. The person who hired him would pay him quite well for his services.

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It was getting dark as Tony drove the group over to the Magnolia Bar and Grill. After discussing several options, the group decided that for the night they'd take Tony's car to the event.

As the group rode toward the restaurant, Aidan sat in the backseat looking out the windows. Tony, noticing her look in the rearview mirror, knew she was thinking about what had happened today. He started thinking about things himself. He had heard from his son, who was friends with Xander, about Dylan's visit at the school and Aidan's reaction to the fact.

Considering he had heard Aidan talk about wanting to talk with her relatives on that side, Tony wondered what the man did to her that would make her react so violently to his return.

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to broach the issue. "OK Ade, you've gotta come clean here. What did that guy do to ya so many years ago that you turn into the Incredible Hulk at the school?"

Aidan glared at him, and turned, fussing with the alexandrite bracelet she was wearing. Pam, who was sitting in the front seat on the passenger's side, frowned. "Tony, listen, I know you're worried here as we are, but you can't just force her to say anything," she said.

"C'mon, Mrs. H, given what's happened today I should get ta know what happened," said Tony.

Ralph opened his mouth to defend Pam's decision, but Aidan put a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right. I think he should know. I just wish he'd been a little politer about it," said Aidan. "And, I think it's best to say it now and not in the restaurant."

"You sure?" said Ralph and Pam.

"Yep, or I might do an encore of my 'Incredible Hulk' performance at the restaurant, and I don't want us banned from there," said Aidan and the others chuckled softly.

Tony rolled his eyes and took the exit that would take them downtown to the restaurant. "OK, I get the picture, so can you please help me with this?"

Aidan smiled. "OK, but I might need some help here," she said, giving a knowing glance to Ralph. "It's been 12 years since I last saw Dylan. Misha, my grandmother, had passed away and I wanted to visit her one more time before the funeral. While the rest of the Onyxsards wanted me to stay away, Ralph said that we'd stay away while the family had visitation. They still tried to deny me the right, but Pam, who was still a lawyer then, said she'd sue on my behalf. Hearing this, and not wanting the public embarrassment, they agreed - reluctantly."

"Reluctantly?" said Tony.

"Yeah. Misha had a soft spot for me, the only relative other than Dad on that side who cared about me. I think they were afraid I'd get a cut of the inheritance. I didn't care, as I had something more important - memories. Even when they put her in the nursing home and said to the nurses to not let me come visit, she ordered the nurses afterward to let me have visitation rights," she said chuckling. "I remember the first time I visited her when she was there. She said, 'I told those nurses that they couldn't let that jackass family of mine keep me from seeing Aidan. I'm the only tie she's got to her father.'"

"Sounds like she was a tough gal… sorry woman," said Tony.

"She was, and apparently very different from my grandfather. We had to stay in the nursing home, because that way the family couldn't arrest me for kidnapping, but I would come over and bring her ice cream or some sort of bead project I had been working on. She lived there for about 5 years before she passed away."

Tony cleared his throat slightly, knowing Aidan was moving away from the subject. "OK, so what happened at the funeral home?"

"Well, the night before the funeral, after the family had left, Ralph and I went over to the home - I think Pam had been stuck working on a case with a client. Ralph, realizing I wanted to say my goodbyes in private, let me go into the parlor where Misha lay in state. It was hard, because like she said, she was the last tie on that side who cared about me. …Unfortunately, what I didn't know was Dylan and a friend of his were there.

"Ralph had gone to the funeral home director's office to see if there was a way I could attend the service without creating much of a ruckus, and I was alone in the parlor. Dylan and his friend, seeing me in there, decided to pull one of the cruelest pranks anyone could do," she said, clearing her throat. "I remember looking at Misha and toying with the toggle of the bracelet she had given me just before she died when I felt a sharp blow to my head and everything went black…"

Noticing Aidan was having problems talking about this part, Ralph took over. "After Dylan and his friend knocked Aidan out, they carried her to the storage area where they kept the caskets and put her in one, closing it. I had returned to the main room and went to the parlor to tell her we needed to leave. Finding it empty save the alexandrite bracelet she had been wearing - they didn't see it fall - I picked up the bracelet and tried to get a holograph…"

"You were wearing the suit that day," said Aidan, a bit surprised. She did remember it was odd Ralph had been wearing a long sleeved shirt that warm day in May, but at least now she knew why.

"Yes… just in case something did happen. Anyway, when I didn't get one, I knew something was wrong and began to search for her in the home and heard laughing. I tracked it down and found Dylan and his friend laughing near the storage room. After getting the caretaker to keep an eye on them, I went inside and began to touch the caskets."

Ralph ran a hand through his hair, remembering that event again. "I finally got a holograph of one with Aidan inside coming to… or so I thought. Finding it empty, I realized it was the bracelet and pocketed it. Touching another casket, I got another one of Aidan … just when she realized what she was in and shrieked. I opened the casket, fortunately not off its hinges, and there was Aidan inside."

Aidan put up a hand and continued. "Anyway, Ralph picked me up and got me out of the casket, but I jumped out of his hands… and apparently too quickly because the next thing I know I'm lying on a fainting chaise with Ralph dabbing my face with a wet washcloth and the caretaker waving a packet of ammonia spirits under my nose," said Aidan sadly. "Ralph, being as angry as he was, started chewing out Dylan and his friend. Problem was, Dylan's parents arrived and decided to chew me out, saying it was my fault I got in the coffin and that I closed it myself. When Ralph mentioned it was locked too, they implied he did it to throw the blame on Dylan and his friend."

Tony shook his head in disbelief. "So, someone who's out cold can close caskets?" he said.

"With that family, apparently. Anyway, they ordered Ralph and me to leave, and not only that, told the funeral home director to not let me return to visit. When he balked, they threatened to sue the funeral home, so he had to reluctantly agree. Ralph tried to reason with them, but they said they were getting a restraining order on me so I couldn't attend the funeral… and they did." she said, glowering at the memory. "So, I missed the service, and didn't even try to go near her grave until about two weeks later, when the family had pretty much moved on with their lives. The thing is, it wasn't my fault, it was Dylan's as to why I missed the funeral. Still haven't gotten over it, since I didn't get to really say goodbye."

Pam thought for a moment. "So, why you want to talk to him now?"

"Well, if he's serious about this, I could possibly learn a little more about why he did it and about the family," said Aidan as they turned into the restaurant's parking lot. "Besides, I did some thinking and felt that if I didn't try, Misha would be upset. I just wish we didn't have to worry about someone attacking us."

Tony nodded as he found a spot and pulled in. "Don't worry Ade, I'm keeping guard here and if the guy or anyone else gives you trouble, just give a nod and I'll have them arrested for everything under the sun," he said, turning off the ignition.

Aidan chuckled and the group got out and headed into the restaurant. Once they were inside, they saw Dylan get up from the bench and walk toward them. "Hello Aidan, Mr. and Mrs. Hinkley. How are you doing?" he said warmly.

Ralph shook Dylan's hand. "We're doing fine. Dylan, this is a friend of ours, Tony Villacana. Tony, this is Dylan Onyxsard."

Tony shook Dylan's hand. "So you're the guy who's trying to be part of Ade's family again? I hope ya don't go an make Aidan do her Hulk impression again," he said a bit directly. Aidan kept mum, but her eyes twinkled at the slight dressing down Dylan received.

"No, no I don't think I'll do that again," said Dylan as the maitre'd came up to them and took them to their table.

Once the group was seated, they gave their drink orders and looked at the menus. Ralph and Pam frowned slightly when they saw Aidan glower a bit at the menu. "What's wrong?" asked Ralph.

"What I normally get isn't on the menu," said Aidan. "I guess I'll have to get something else."

Tony chuckled as he thought about his choices. "Ya know, it's a hard choice here, but I'm goin' to get these mountain oysters. They sound good."

"Not if you know what mountain oysters are," said Aidan wryly, who chuckled when Tony gave her a quizzical look. Rolling her eyes slightly, she whispered in his ear what they were, and he blushed. "Uh, maybe I'll try the crawfish one instead. Is it good?"

"Very much so," said Aidan. "But I'll have to have them make mine a special request if I order it."

"Why's that? Is it too hot or something for you," asked Tony as they received their drink orders. He knew Aidan could eat hot peppers without flinching and if Aidan said something was spicy, it'd be way too spicy for him.

Aidan took a drink of her Coke. "No, not too hot it just that there are some ingredients I can't have," she said and then turned to Dylan. "So, why did you want to reconcile? I mean, you're risking your inheritance by just being around me."

Dylan shrugged. "Aidan, it's been a long time since any of us have seen you, and visiting Grandmother's grave the other day made me realize that there's more to life than power and prestige," he said softly. "We were too hard on you, us kids, and should've not based our opinions on some outdated beliefs."

"Got that right pal. Ade here's fantastic," said Tony.

"Maybe, but I think the clincher is that I remember what Grandmother said before she died. It was to try and see all sides of life…"

"Or you'll end up flat," said Aidan finishing and taking another sip of her soda.

"Exactly," said Dylan and he continued to talk. As he did, Aidan started to feel a bit hot and her throat started to itch, softly at first, but was increasing rapidly.

Ralph turned to Aidan, and frowned when she was rubbing the sides of her throat as though in pain. "Aidan, what's wrong," he said.

When she started turning red and gasping for air, Pam knew what was wrong. "Ralph, I think Aidan's having an allergic reaction," she said.

"What the hell? She can't be…" said Ralph, but saw Aidan hunch over in her chair, trying to take in deep breaths, with very little luck. Aidan bent to the side to try and get something out of her purse. She missed the purse and it fell to the ground.

Seeing Aidan's tears of distress and now hearing wheezes in her breathing, realized Pam was right and he sprang into action. "Tony, call the paramedics," he said and got out the chair. He grabbed Aidan's purse and started rummaging through it.

As Tony ran off to get the paramedics, Dylan was confused at what was going on. "What are you doing?" he asked. "What's wrong with Aidan?"

Ralph wasn't answering, and found the item he wanted… an EpiPen. He grabbed it and turned to Aidan seeing she was in pain from trying to breathe. Kneeling so his injured ankle was only used for balance, Ralph remembered what she told him to do in this case if she couldn't. He removed the cap and, making a fist around the EpiPen, jabbed her in the thigh with the medicine.

Ralph heard the spring click and kept the needle in her leg for about 10 seconds so the epinephrine was completely administered and removed the needle. Aidan's eyelids fluttered closed and she fell sideways and out of the chair, limp. She crashed into Ralph, who caught her as best he could to keep her from hitting her head, and eased her the rest of the way to the ground.

Pam kneeled next to Ralph as he put his ear next to Aidan's mouth and checked her pulse. Pam swallowed hard. "Ralph, is she?…" asked Pam, ready to help out if they needed to give her CPR.

"Her breathing's better, but still a bit ragged. Her pulse is a bit fast too, but I think she'll be all right," said Ralph. Seeing Pam raise an eyebrow in regard to Aidan's state, he continued. "She fainted … probably from the stress of trying to breathe. Dylan, can you go get a wet towel or washcloth for Aidan's face?"

Dylan nodded and left to get a waiter. Ralph covered Aidan with his coat while both he and Pam kept an eye on the young woman to make sure she didn't have a relapse.

"Ambulance is on it's way," said Tony as he came back to the table. He frowned when he saw Aidan was unconscious. "How's Aidan?"

"She's better, but we need the paramedics to help treat it fully," said Ralph.

Tony looked at the pen shaped syringe Ralph was holding. "What did you give her?" he asked, confused.

"Epinephrine," said Ralph simply. Seeing the man's inquiring look, Ralph continued. "Aidan has a severe allergy to olives, and they can trigger an attack like this. She brings an EpiPen with her to places such as the restaurant just in case something gets cross-contaminated with olive oil."

"So that's why she hasta have them make her plate special like right?" said Tony, and Ralph nodded.

Looking at the table, Pam frowned. "But, we haven't eaten anything with olives," she said.

Tony wondering, stuck a finger in Aidan's soda and tasted it. "Maybe, but there's something odd in this drink," he said quietly to the two. "It's a bit oily for a Coke."

The two Hinkleys frowned, realizing the person who tried to attack Ralph and Aidan was definitely after her. "What's wrong," said Dylan, returning with a damp washcloth a waiter gave him. The waiter had already seen Aidan's attack and figured it might be needed. Dylan hadn't heard what Tony told the others.

"We don't know, but we're going to find out," said Ralph simply as he took the cloth from Dylan and began cooling Aidan down so as to not trigger another attack.


	4. Chapter 4

It seemed like hours, but about two minutes later, Aidan regained consciousness. The first things she noticed was that her throat was sore and her lungs hurt when she tried to breathe… but she could breathe.

Opening her eyes, she saw Ralph and Pam looking down at her with the matre'd standing nearby. Ralph was dabbing her face gently with a washcloth and noticed she was looking at the two of them. "She's awake," said Ralph to the matre'd, who nodded and headed toward the main doors. Dylan had gone outside to wait for the ambulance along with the restaurant manager, and were wanting an update on Aidan's condition to tell the paramedics.

"Man, what…" she said, trying to sit up. Realizing the motion was making her nauseous, she just leaned back into a semi-reclining position to ease her breathing.

"Relax Aidan, the paramedics are on their way. You don't need to overexert yourself right now," said Pam, putting a gentle hand on the young woman's shoulder.

Aidan remembering the events and hearing the siren nearing, groaned. "I had an allergic reaction didn't I?" she said, her breath still in fairly rapid, but fuller breaths.

"Yeah Cub, ya were gasping for air and everything," said Tony as he leaned into her view. "Mr. H told me ta get the paramedics and when I came back, you were out like a light. Scared me for a moment, cuz I thought ya were dead."

Aidan moaned, and Ralph nodded. "Yep you did look pretty bad there for a moment sweetheart, but I did what you told me to if this happened and gave you that shot…"

"Shot?" she said, and vaguely remembered what happened before her black out. "Great, not again…"

"Yes, I had to use that EpiPen you always bring and you passed out," said Ralph, understanding what she was thinking. "Feeling better?"

"A little, but I can't believe I went out because of a shot…"

Tony shook his head in disbelief. "What? C'mon Ade, ya nearly died here and you're embarrassed about fainting from getting the shot?" he said, then smirked. "If you're gonna act that way, maybe I should start that bet up again each time you go visit the doctor's."

Aidan glared at the man, but didn't say anything - for the moment. She turned to Ralph. "What caused it though? I wasn't in contact with any of those triggers…"

Ralph frowned, not wanting to say anything, but Aidan knew that look. "The drink," she said, already working it out. "But who?"

Pam put a hand on her shoulder. "We don't know, but Tony's going to find out. At least now we know whom it is they're after," she said.

"The question is, who is it that wants me dead?" said Aidan. The paramedics entered the room and rushed over to treat Aidan. After giving her a breathing treatment on scene, they were told to take her to the hospital for further evaluation just in case of a second reaction. She was given an IV, which she held Ralph's hand when they inserted the needle, and was loaded up into the ambulance.

As the paramedics treated Aidan, Tony talked with a bus boy who said he was assaulted by someone out in the alleyway. Hearing the man say he felt his jacket being put back on him, Tony asked for the coat, hoping the man hadn't worn it long enough then to negate any vibes the bad guy might've put on the jacket. After he also collected the drink to have it analyzed, Tony drove Ralph and Pam to the hospital so they could check on Aidan and get to the bottom of what was going on.

------------------------------------

Jackson drove down the freeway, smiling. He was proud of what he did to set up the hit on Aidan at the restaurant. Just before the group arrived, the man found one of the bus boys in the back of the restaurant taking out the garbage. Jackson knocked the man out, laying him behind a dumpster in the back.

Putting on the man's attire, Jackson entered the restaurant courtesy of the man's friend and acted as though he was the busboy. No one was really paying attention to the workers, as they were in the midst of a busy service. He saw the Hinkleys meet Dylan and sit at the table. As he cleaned up a table, netting $5 in the process, he heard what Aidan wanted to drink. He went to the back and waited until the waiter came in and got the beverages. When the waiter went to get Pam's order of a strawberry margarita, Jackson discreetly slipped a small amount of extra virgin olive oil in the Coke that was going to be given to Aidan.

After lacing the drink, he then went back outside, changed into his regular outfit, and redressed the unconscious bus boy. Going back inside, he watched from the bar as Aidan took a drink of her soda and chatted with her family. Within a few minutes, she started gasping for air and the group panicked. He heard Ralph tell Tony call for an ambulance, but someone bumped into him, distracting him for a few moments. Returning his gaze to the situation, he saw Aidan slump sideways into Ralph, unmoving, and Ralph frowning as he tried to hear her breathe. Satisfied she was dead, Jackson paid for his drink and left.

As he was thinking, his cell phone rang. Finding it was the tone he chose for these particular calls, he picked it up and smiling, answered it. "Well, I've done my part. When am I going to get paid?"

_"Right now… when hell freezes over you moron," _hissed the voice on the other side. _"She's still alive."_

Jackson was confused. "What? She's dead, I saw her fall to the ground."

_"You only saw her faint. She regained consciousness not too long after you left."_

"But, I saw her drink the soda…"

_"Yes, so I hear, but she survived because she got first aid right away,"_ said the man. _"She has to carry medicine just in case."_

"I didn't know that," said Jackson indignently.

_"Well, I can blame the info I got not being complete there, but you should've made sure they took her out on a stretcher in a body bag," _said the other voice, glowering. _"I want her dead. You've got ONE more chance here. Fail, and I'll kill you myself."_

Jackson heard the phone slam down and closed the cell. He too was just as furious as his boss. He started thinking of ways to kill Aidan that would be fast and without a way to escape. The man knew that if he didn't kill her, his boss would be beyond upset, and if that happened, he'd be dead.


	5. Chapter 5

About four hours later, a fairly tired group entered the Hinkley home… well except for Aidan. She was a bit shaky, jittery and ill from the treatment they gave her at the hospital to treat the attack.

While Pam and Ralph waited in the hospital, Tony went back to the restaurant and interviewed the owner and others who might've seen the man who laced Aidan's drink. Though they gave a description of the man, there were too many differences that Tony didn't have much of a lead.

Before he left the restaurant, he called Rhonda and explained to her that someone was after Aidan and he was going to stay overnight at the Hinkley home to make sure they were all safe. He then returned to the hospital, and finding Aidan was ready to go home, took the group back to the house.

She entered the living room, fuming as Ralph and Pam followed. "Aidan, would you calm down for a minute. We need to…" said Ralph as Aidan continued on her way to her bedroom and slammed the door.

Pam frowned. "Ralph, take it easy. I think she just wants to get comfortable after being stuck in the hospital for so long tonight. Tony can apologize later."

"C'mon Mrs. H, I didn't say nuthin' that'd make her that angry," said Tony as he entered the room.

Ralph rolled his eyes. "Tony, I understand you kidding Aidan about her phobia one or two times, but doing it all the way home is another story. She had a hell of a time in the emergency room today, and it wasn't funny," he said.

"It was a joke…"

"We know, and Ralph and I kid her sometimes about it too. But, she almost wasn't allowed to go home tonight because she fainted a second time in the hospital from a shot," said Pam. Seeing Tony open his mouth, she continued. "Tony, suit or no, she's scared enough as it is, and I think she wants to get to the bottom of this as much as you do."

Tony, realizing that Pam had a point, softened his tone. "You're right," he said softly as he heard his cell phone ring. "Villacana…" he said, and listened in on the conversation. "All right, thanks for telling' me what'cha found out…. Yeah, I'm on stakeout at their house. If I need backup I'll let ya know. 'Bye."

Ralph looked at Tony and frowned. "Well, what did they say about the drink?" he asked.

"Well, we were right. It was oily… as in olive oil. I've smelled the stuff before and it's strong, so why she couldn't smell it was beyond me."

"Probably because they use deodorized olive oil at the restaurant. We checked the first time we went there," said Pam. "Any fingerprints other than your's and Ade's on the glass?"

"No, so I'm guessin' the creep dumped it in her drink, meaning she couldn't get vibes. I also talked with the busboy who was attacked for his outfit, but he said he got hit from behind. He said he felt someone putting his jacket back on him when he was comin' to, so I got it from him. Hopefully Ade can get something' offa it."

Ralph shook his head as he sat down. "Maybe, it's just I wish she had thought to wear the suit this evening. It probably would've helped her avoid the attack if she had it on."

"Nope… it'd only led to some funny questions," said Aidan as she returned to the living room, wearing a robe. "I've had a micky affect me while wearing the suit, so I doubt it'd protect me from something that's far less harmful… under normal circumstances."

Ralph noticed with the exception of her hands, Aidan wasn't shaking or appeared jittery. He then saw the red outfit underneath the robe. "Why did you put the suit on? You need to rest," said Ralph.

"I want to get to the bottom of this before I go and have another 'fun' time in the ER," she said with a slight sarcasm in her voice. "I don't want to be another tree in the fall… or the sinking Titanic… or cause ammonia spirits stock prices to soar…"

Tony realized she was talking about his jokes about her phobia. "I'm sorry Cub, I shoulda stopped after the first time," he said, and Aidan nodded in acceptance. "But, I think Mr. H's right though and ya need to get some sleep. You need to be full strength, and ya ain't right now."

Pam nodded. "Yeah sweetheart, even I agree. Why don't you take of the suit and get some sleep and we'll work it out tomorrow."

"Uh un, I'm not taking the suit off… at least right now. It's helping with the shakes from the epinephrine," said Aidan adamantly. "When I feel tired, I'll change and then get some Z's, but right now, I'm still pretty wired from everything. It's better I do something constructive."

Realizing that Aidan was probably right, Tony decided to layout what he knew. "Well, I got a call from the drug analyst. He said your drink had olive oil in it."

"Great, so that means this guy's got a hold of my medical records," said Aidan. "I have an alert necklace, but other than Ralph, Pam and a few others, most who have seen it think it's for diabetes or epilepsy. I haven't had it visible for some time, so this guy's doing his homework to have know that."

"Did you found out for sure if anyone who wanted to get any of us back was released Tony?" asked Ralph.

Tony shook his head. "I did, and no one's out. They're either in there for a long time yet or the insane ward. And, I did a check with your's and Maxwell's cases, and none of them are out…."

---------------------------------

As the group talked, about five miles away Jackson was driving around town when he saw a young woman similar in appearance to Aidan walking down near a set of fountains, leading to a swimming pool. Jackson quietly pulled over and got out of his car.

The woman had gotten to the fountains when she was met face to face with Jackson. "Hello Aidan… welcome to your death," he said as he grabbed her. The woman screamed and kicked the man, getting free briefly but he grabbed her by the hair. She hit him with her purse and a struggle ensued….

--------------------------------

Aidan picked up the jacket Tony brought from restaurant and started toying with it when she got hit with a holograph. "Hey guys, I'm getting something," she said and paused as she saw a woman being assaulted by a man. She was fighting back, but it was slowly going in the man's favor.

Before Tony asked what was going on, Aidan started barking orders. "Tony, there's a woman being attacked at the fountains on Seventh and Main," she said, taking off the robe and changing into the suit.

"Ade, you're still…"

"I'll be fine, just go before this creep kills her," said Aidan as she opened the front door, took three steps and jumped, taking flight. Tony, realizing she was serious, ran out to his car and headed over to the scene. Ralph and Pam, realizing that they'd be putting themselves and Aidan in danger if they joined, stayed at home, praying Aidan wouldn't collapse from exhaustion.

-------------------------------------

The woman lashed out at Jackson again, hitting him in the groin and causing him to groan in pain. Despite this, Jackson caught her again and wrapped an arm around her waist. He then put the woman in a sleeper hold and added pressure. The woman struggled, trying to escape, but the pressure was too much and she passed out.

Smiling, the man released the hold and picked up the insensible woman in his arms. As he was turning to drop her into the pool and drown her, he heard a very loud, and female scream coming from above him. Aidan crashed into the group, all three landing on the cement in a heap.

Getting up, Aidan and Jackson saw each other for the first time since the start of the attempts. "You…" said Jackson, a little surprised at seeing Aidan in a funny red suit. He looked at the woman he attacked, confused. "But, I thought…"

"Yeah, got the wrong girl," said Aidan cynically as she recognized the man. He was one of the football players who had been removed from Whitney's football team. "You want me? Go ahead and try, unless you're afraid to fight me face-to-face again."

Jackson only smiled wickedly as he ran into Aidan. Though Aidan was strong in the suit, the inertia from the shove sent the two falling into the pool.

Once in the water, Aidan and Jackson sank under the water, trying to subdue the other one. Jackson swam behind and put Aidan in a choke hold, but she broke out of it with the suit's help and swam to the surface, taking a gasp of air before being pulled under again.

When he tried to catch her again, Aidan broke free and swum down, disorienting the man. Realizing her stronger punches might be slower fighting the friction of the water, she quietly swam up behind Jackson. Before the man could figure out what happened, she put him in a hold herself. Jackson tried to break free, but Aidan was much stronger with the suit on, and gave him a sharp, and surprisingly quick, tap in the jaw with her fist. The man's struggles faded and he went limp.

Realizing the now unconscious man needed to get out of the pool quickly or risk drowning, Aidan put the man in a rescue hold and swam to the surface. She saw Tony arriving on the scene, and after parking the car, Tony rushed over to where the woman was dragging Jackson out of the water. "I see ya got him," said Tony as he went to check on the woman Jackson attacked. "You all right?"

"Yeah, managed to still have a good punch underwater," said Aidan as she checked the man's vitals. "He'll be all right. How's she?"

"Out like a light, but should wake up soon," he said, taking a closer look at the two women. "She looks a lot like you. I wonder if the bum got mixed up."

"He did, but we can use it to our advantage" said Aidan as Jackson started to wake up. She grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him up so he had to look at her. Aidan then nodded to Tony to make sure she didn't turn into a "bad cop."

Jackson opened his eyes and saw Aidan glaring at him. "I'm alive… but you're still alive," he groaned as Tony handcuffed the man.

"Yes, and I plan on staying that way, no thanks to you," said Aidan, giving a slight growl. "Now, tell me… why are you trying to kill me?"

"I don't have to tell you nothing teach. You're just some crazy dame in red who put my lights out. I can tell the cops when they get here it was you who attacked us."

"Teach?" said Tony, and Aidan gave a brief nod, saying she'd explain later.

He then looked at the man and shook his head. "Actually, I'm the law right now. Tony Villacana - FBI," he said, and Jackson groaned. "And, saying that to others will get you more than what you want. So, unless you'd like ta spend the rest of your life in a lace up coat, I'd suggest ya answer my friend here."

"All right, I'll tell you. Someone hired me to kill this dame here so he could get some money."

Aidan frowned. "Why? I'm not wealthy."

"You're an Onyxsard right?" he said matter-of-factly. He had never taken her class or known her last name, and his boss had not said she was related to Ralph.

"Not anymore. They disowned me when I was nine, and I'm sure I'm disinherited as well."

Jackson groaned. "Damn… this fellow said your death would make us both rich."

"Well, look at the bright side, you're gonna be rich… you're gonna get three hots and a cot in jail for a long time," said Tony with a smirk. "Now, tell us who it was who hired ya?"

"I don't know his name…"

Aidan grabbed his shirt collar a little more, causing Jackson to wince in pain. "You'd better get your memory back. I'm still shaking from the last attempt on my life, and I don't think you want to test my patience," she said.

Jackson shook his head. "I really don't know. Now, I ain't telling you anything else without a lawyer."

Tony shook his head and looked at Aidan. "I hate saying this, but we can't do anything else. He can get off if we continue," he said.

Aidan nodded reluctantly as the woman started to wake up. Seeing the two men and someone in a funny, and sopping wet, red suit, she was a bit scared.

Aidan put Jackson down on the ground and went over to the woman. "Shhh… don't worry, you're safe," she said.

"You two saved my life," said the woman, though she was confused as to why Aidan was wearing a funny suit. "But how?"

"This gentleman here, Agent Tony Villacana, and I saw this man put you in a choke hold and knock you out," said Aidan. "Agent Villacana made him free you, and when your attacker tried to attack him, I tackled him from behind and into the pool."

"Yeah, and since he couldn't swim, he gave up and she rescued him," said Tony. "This fellow who assaulted you is going to jail for a long time."

"Thank you, both. You're angels… guardian angels in red," said the woman before closing her eyes, having passed out again.

Aidan looked quizzically at Tony, but noticed he too was wearing red… in his case a red dress shirt. "I don't know Ade, but I'd say that at least that's an improvement from them screaming or trying to put you in the crazy bin. Is she still OK?"

Aidan checked the woman's pulse smiled. "She's going to be fine. Listen, what this … uh, 'gentleman' said about my death making him wealthy has got me intrigued. I'm going to go back to the house and try to follow up on that."

"I'll be there after I take this guy to the slammer and the ambulance takes the woman to the hospital," said Tony. Aidan nodded and, getting up, took three steps and jumped, taking flight.

Jackson was shocked at the sight. "How did she…" he stammered as they heard Aidan yelp in her wobbly flight.

"A wing and a prayer sometimes, but she can do it," said Tony with a slight grin. "I'd just keep it to myself though if you know what I mean."

----------------------------------------------------

As she flew back to the house, Aidan started thinking about what had happened. They had solved one question, but it still opened up another one. Whoever had hired the hit man had to know something about her. They knew she was a teacher and she had an allergy to olives.

While she could dismiss the first part to it being the football jock seeking revenge for his dismissal from the team, as Jackson did know Ralph and tried to run over the two of them, very few knew about the allergy. She, Ralph and Pam found out the hard way when she was 10 when they ate at an authentic Italian restaurant, and the only others who knew were the doctors and paramedics. Either way, she now knew that whoever hired the hit man was trying to kill her so he could be wealthy.

Tired, she crashed in the backyard of the Hinkley home and went inside into the living room, leaning a bit heavily against the wall. Though she wanted to talk, Ralph and Pam said that she looked like she was about to keel over and ordered her to go to bed. Realizing the were right, she nodded softly, and Ralph put her arm around his shoulder and helped her to her bedroom.

After going inside her room and changing into her pajamas - a Whitney High volleyball shirt and boxer shorts - Aidan got into bed and lay down, trying to figure out more pieces of the puzzle. She didn't get too far before she fell fast asleep, the last vestiges of the day - physical and emotional - fading away.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Aidan filled Ralph and Pam in on what Jackson had said. "So that's why this guy's been trying to kill you," said Ralph. "Not to mention trying to get me as well at the school."

"Yeah, said that this would make both him and his boss wealthy. Problem is, since he just said Onyxsard, now with the hit man in jail, this guy might come after me or Dylan…."

"That's assumin' they knew about Dylan and your past Ade," said Tony. "Nah, I think they must be after ya because they've been trying at kill ya. You've must've got something they want."

"Want … what would they want from me? Despite what he said, I'm not in power or wealthy…"

Pam and Ralph looked at each other, as though the idea dawned on them. Aidan looked at them curiously, as this seemed to be something she didn't know. It was rare for the family to keep secrets from each other.

Tony cocked an eyebrow, curious. "OK, I know that Hinkley homing in on what's going on look. What's on your minds guys?" he said.

"Pam, do you think it's possible. …"

"I should've remembered that it'd become public record after…"

"And I should've…"

Realizing this might affect her, Aidan piped up. "Guys, what are ya talking about?" she said, a bit confused. Aidan knew her adoption, while in the books, wasn't public record. Otherwise, Jackson would've known she wasn't called Onyxsard anymore.

Ralph looked at Aidan. "Misha's will."

Tony frowned. "What's the big deal about a will that belongs to a family who thinks she's the living dead?" he asked.

"Ade, did you know anything about her will or what was in it?" asked Pam.

Aidan shrugged. "Not much, and after everything that happened to me at the funeral home, I didn't even try to go back to listen to the reading of the will," she said. "I was afraid that I'd get arrested, and pretty much decided it wasn't that important. But, then again with Misha…"

"C'mon Ade, they'd already know," Tony scoffed. "Besides, wouldn't your grandma cut ya out of the will for fear that the others would try to sue ya for it?"

"Possibly, but I don't think so, given we were close," said Aidan. "But, it might shed some light on this. Pam, is there anyway I can get access to a copy of it?"

"Sure sweetheart. I'll ask the lawyer who helped her with the writing and get everything together," said Pam. "It'll be a couple of hours before I can get the stuff together."

Tony smiled. "Terrific Mrs. H. Once you get the will we can figure out who wants to have blood money on their hands."

----------------------------------------------

Across town, a man was reading a newspaper over a story about a near-death experience and how the suspect, Blaine Jackson, had been arrested by an agent and a woman… named Aidan Hinkley.

"Damn it, how does that little brat do it?" said the man. "Avoids being run over, survives a severe allergic reaction, and now drowning? She had to have been given the lion's share of the luck."

He got up and went over to a bottle of whiskey. Pouring himself a shot, he downed the fiery liquid and went back to the newspaper, rereading the article. He started working out a way to kill Aidan himself, and came up with a solution. "Sometimes accidents can create the best causes of death. Your parents died in a car crash, so it'd only be fitting for you to meet your maker the same way," said the man. "After all, Dylan Onyxsard always gets what he wants."

----------------------------------------------------------

Later that afternoon, the group was at the house going through the will, searching for what was the missing piece of the puzzle.

"Mrs. H, ya sure ya only got the stuff we needed," said Tony as placed another page on the table. "I'm starting to feel as though we're about ta be in a blizzard with all these papers here."

Pam sighed, having told the agent the same thing a half an hour ago. "Tony, from what my friend told me, Misha had made an extensive will, given her monetary assets were rather large."

"Musta been someone like the Ewings there huh? Oil, land…"

"Not quite Tony, but pretty close," said Aidan as she went through another page. "But, I do remember Misha telling me she wanted to make sure that several charities, not to mention workers at the house, received a nice sum. From what she told me, they never got paid enough money."

"Figures, let the little people work and ya siphon off the profits," said Tony and saw Aidan nod sadly. "Let me guess, you saw it quite a bit too?"

"She did Tony. I think between that and treating Aidan as though she was Cinderella was why Pam and I…" said Ralph, who suddenly froze as he read the page.

Noticing the look on Ralph's face, the other three grew worried. "Ralph, you OK?" asked Pam.

The man regained his composure and nodded. "Yeah Pam… I found what we were looking for," he said.

"That's terrific hun, what does it say" said Pam as Ralph pursed his lips, trying to decide how to handle this.

"What is it Ralph?" said Aidan.

"Uh Ade, I think you should sit down first," he said hesitantly.

"Why?"

"Because, you're at the very least going to be surprised and the most… well, I'd much rather Tony or me not have to catch you when you read this. You're heavier than you look."

Aidan chuckled at the implication. "C'mon, it can't be that big of news. If anything, I think Misha would've left her silverware set to me," she said. Noticing that Ralph was serious, she shrugged, sat down and the man handed over the paper. Aidan read it, and started paling as she read the contents. "Well, you're right… I did need to sit down," she said softly.

Tony became very concerned. "Aidan…" he said, knowing the look on Aidan's face.

Seeing Tony put his hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling over, Aidan put a hand up, a little annoyed. "Tony, I'm not going to faint, but this is big."

"Well, quit keeping me on pins and needles here. What did your grandmother leave you?"

"One million dollars and a sapphire and diamond pendant."

Tony's mouth dropped open. "What?" he said as he took the paper and read the will. "Wow… uh Ade, you really are wealthy."

"Yeah, and according to what I'm reading, apparently this was more than anything the rest of the family received. But, why didn't they know I had this?"

Pam took the will and looked at the page prior to it. "This is why Ade. It says here 'skip over next page if Aidan Micah Hinkley is absent from the reading.' You weren't there, so the executor did what was requested."

"OK, but that doesn't explain why I was nearly run over, asphyxiated or drowned…"

Tony looked over Pam's shoulder and noticed something. "Mrs. H, it says just past the skip this part bit if Ade's not here that there's a condition. Where's that?"

Pam riffled through the pages to the noted condition and handed it to Tony. "Let's see… 'In the event of Aidan Micah Hinkley's death, half of the money is to be divided amongst those who have declared her family, with the remaining half to be distributed evenly among the charities of her choice.' Geesh, that'd be some hunk of change for you and Mr. H," said Tony. Pam elbowed Tony in the stomach, frowning at his comment. "Hey, I don't want Ade here hurt. I'm just sayin'…"

"Family," said Aidan softly. She narrowed her eyes, starting to work out the scenario.

"All right cub… as you'd say, what's the spin?" said Tony.

She ignored Tony for the moment and turned to Pam. "Is it just me or is there a potential loophole in this will?" she asked.

"Given how you're named in the will, which is your legal name, I don't think they'd win a case to take away your inheritance, but the way the condition is phrased, it is possible to divide it," said Pam nodding.

Tony grew upset. "All right Aidan, what is it?"

"Tony, it just says family… not Hinkleys. From what I've read so far, Misha wrote the will based on how she felt about the family. I always had a hint that she felt that the rest of the family didn't deserve anything for their selfishness, but I should get the quintessential Cinderella story," said Aidan as she looked further in the will about her inheritance. "But, she also probably put this in there as a way to get them to reconcile with me. And knowing I'd be more than happy to share the money I had received, everyone would benefit short and long-term. That's why there's also the sapphire and diamond pendant. She wanted me to have it because I'd have a permanent memento of hers and appreciate it…."

"OK, so?"

"So, given it says here that the money and pendant were put in a safe deposit box in my name, well Mom's in my behalf at first which I inherited, no one knew about it at the time or cared. But, my guess is someone has read the will and knows that stipulation besides us."

Tony frowned. "Ade, are you saying…"

"Yes, I've been wrong all along."

"What do ya mean?"

"Who's the only person who's been trying to get me to declare him family? Dylan… he's the one who's been trying to kill me."

--------------------------------------

Dylan was driving down the road working out his scenario. He'd go over to Aidan's apartment and cut the brake line to her car, which would lead to her crashing her car and her death. Knowing Ralph and Pam probably would visit her after her allergy attack, they'd be driving her around, so he decided to let the air out of their tires to force them to use Aidan's car. Dylan smiled at that potential scenario, as it'd lead to only him getting the money if all three were killed.

When he arrived at Aidan's apartment complex, he frowned to see that Aidan's car wasn't there. Realizing that she must be at Ralph and Pam's house instead, he got back on the road and headed toward their house. He knew that within the day, he'd have what he want: Aidan dead and her inheritance.


	7. Chapter 7

"OK, so let's say it's Dylan. What are ya gonna do about it?" said Tony. "Based on what'cha said about him and the funeral home, the Onyxsards' will probably help him out again."

Aidan shook her head. "Maybe, but we could make that hit man confess to what he said."

"That is if Dylan hasn't already butted in, and guessin' as the hit man got a phone call, I bet dinner on it that he has. So, we need another plan, and fast before the guy comes and tries to kill ya again."

"OK, I just try and get a holograph huh? He hasn't touched anything here," she said sarcastically as she picked up the phone, dialing Dylan's number.

_"Hello?"_ said Dylan.

"Hey Dylan, this is Aidan," she said.

_"Aidan, how are you?"_ said Dylan, as he turned on his call tracer. He hoped he would have enough time to trace the call.

Aidan paused, thinking. _"Ade, you all right? What's going on?"_ said Dylan, feigning concern.

Aidan snapped out of her trance and continued. "Sorry, I was wondering if you were going to come over for dinner?"

_"Sure, I'd be glad to come. You over at your place, because I wanted to see that rag wreath you have on your door."_

The young woman cringed, but continued. "Not yet, but will be in about an hour. See you then?"

_"Yeah Aidan. Oh, can you make that crab meat and mushroom bake you were talking about?"_

"Sure, I had planned that today, just needed some time to make the horseradish sauce.'

_"Sounds terrific,"_ said Dylan as he looked at his trace again. _"Well, see you then. Bye."_

Hearing the phone click, Aidan frowned. "What's wrong?" said Tony.

"He's knows where I live. I put a rag wreath on my door yesterday, but didn't mention it to anyone," she said.

Tony frowned. "So that means he's probably on his way over here."

"Yeah, I think he's going to try and just kill me himself."

--------------------------------------------------

Dylan smirked as he saw where the phone call was from. It had been from Ralph and Pam's house, and he was only a few blocks away. He made the turn and hoped that he'd not be too late to kill Aidan…

--------------------------------------------------

Ralph and Pam frowned. "So, what are you going to do?"

"She ain't doin' nuthin' without me," said Tony.

"OK, so what's the plan?" said Aidan.

"You go and fly around and see if ya spot this bum and we'll nab him."

"The usual huh? OK, let's go before he tries here. Don't want Pam and Ralph hurt," she said as she headed outside to find a good takeoff spot before changing into the suit. There had been new power lines added the day before and she didn't want to hit them. …

------------------------------------------------

Dylan had turned the corner and saw Aidan walk out the door and was in the yard near the road looking around for some reason. "Perfect," he said as he accelerated toward the woman.

Tony was just outside when he heard the red four-door speed down the road right at Aidan. "Cub watch out," he shouted.

Aidan turned and saw the car, but was a moment too late as the car hit her, knocking her off balance and tossing her in the air. She rolled onto the hood and hit the passenger side of the car, breaking off the antenna and scattering glass in a few places. As Aidan rolled off the car, landing in a crumpled, and motionless, heap on the ground, the car continued to speed off down its path.

"Son of a … Mr. H, Mrs. H, come out here quick," shouted Tony and the two came out the door, gasping at what they found….

--------------------------------------------------

Dylan sped off down the road, looking back at the chaos he created. Aidan hadn't gotten up and Tony was rushing over to her side, so he knew for sure she was seriously wounded this time. He knew all he'd have to do is call Ralph and Pam, feigning concern, and see if he could get invited to the hospital. Then, it was wait until she dies, then he could carry out his plan to get his part of Aidan's inheritance, and quite possibly Ralph and Pam's.


	8. Chapter 8

The hospital was bouncing with energy as the paramedics wheeled a critically injured Aidan down the hallway to the emergency room. Ralph and Pam were told by the nurse at the desk to wait in the waiting room until the doctor could tell them about her condition. Tony talked to security and asked them to keep an eye on Aidan's room to make sure no one intruded.

A few minutes had passed when Ralph and Pam heard a noise behind them. "Ralph? Pam?" said Dylan as he entered the waiting room. "How's she doing?"

"We don't know yet," said Ralph. "Last thing we've heard is she's still unconscious and the doctors were examining her."

"What happened? I mean Aidan invited me to dinner and…"

Pam decided to continue. "Aidan went outside to go home when a car sped out of control and hit her," she said worriedly. "Ralph and I heard a noise and Tony yelled out for us. We went outside and found her on the ground, called an ambulance and well, here we are."

Dylan was about to say something when they saw a gurney carrying Aidan be pushed past the room. She was strapped to a backboard with a few cuts and scrapes on her face and hands. While that was scary, the group shuddered at what was possibly wrong inside when they saw Aidan's eyes were rolled back in her head and unresponsive to any of the doctors' commands. Noticing Dylan's brief smirk, Ralph and Pam had to fight to not slug the man there.

A doctor quickly went over to Ralph and Pam. "Mr. and Mrs. Hinkley? I'm Doctor Braden, and I'm taking care of Aidan."

"How's she doing?" said Pam.

"We're taking her to the OR for emergency surgery. She has internal bleeding and a possible cerebral hemorrhage. Mr. Hinkley, since she is unconscious and you are her emergency contact, we need you to sign the consent forms."

Ralph nodded and quickly signed the paperwork. As Braden rushed off, Ralph put an arm around Pam's shoulders and the group went to the chairs, sitting down.

Ralph and Pam, though worried, decided to talk to ease the tension. "You know, Aidan's been talking a lot about you Dylan," said Pam. "She went on for about an hour yesterday on her way home."

Dylan's chuckled softly. "What did she say?"

"Well, she said she was embarrassed for having the allergic reaction and scaring you, but was determined to make it up to you," said Ralph, clearing his throat. "She told me too she was considering letting you be a part of her family again."

"She was?!" he said, feigning surprise.

"Yes. You see Dylan, as far as her family, it's been pretty much Ralph and me," said Pam gently. "Misha was the only one on that side of the family who really spoke to Ade until she died. She's been wanting to know more about her dad's side of the family for many years."

"But why was she so rude to me at the school?"

"Well, it's been 12 years, Dylan, and we've all changed, so you took her by surprise. She's also very protective of the students, so she saw you and thought intruder. I'd done the same if I saw you walking around without a name badge," said Ralph.

"Oh. So, what else has she said…" said Dylan and the three continued chatting as though nothing was wrong. They shared stories about Aidan's past as well and what she was teaching at the school.

About an hour and a half later, Dr. Braden returned to the waiting room. Ralph and Pam took a deep breath and got up, waiting for what he was about to say.

"Dr. Braden, how is she…" said Ralph hesitantly.

Braden glanced downward and shook his head softly. "I'm sorry, she didn't make it. There was too much damage and…" he stopped when Ralph staggered into him, nearly fainting from the shock.

Braden caught Ralph to keep him from falling, and both he and Pam helped Ralph sit down in a chair. Ralph buried his face in his hands as he recovered. Pam sat down and the two then held each other as they began sobbing. Braden kneeled to make sure Ralph was going to be all right. "Did she suffer?" said Pam, wiping away some tears.

"No. She never regained consciousness."

"We didn't even get to say goodbye… I want to see her," said Ralph firmly in spite of the tears.

Braden nodded softly as he checked Ralph's pulse. "I understand, but your heartbeat is too fast that you could have a syncope… sorry fainting spell if you see her now. I want you to wait for a few minutes before you stand up again," he said.

Seeing Ralph and Pam's glare at having to wait, he softened his tone. He had a daughter as well and couldn't imagine how he'd feel if he was in their shoes. "Also, a nurse is cleaning her up now, and when she's done, you can come in and say your goodbyes."

Ralph and Pam nodded and continued hugging and consoling each other as the doctor left. Dylan went over to the two and sat down. He didn't cry, but he knew that Ralph and Pam would think it was that he wasn't as close to Aidan. "I… I don't know what to say," said Dylan.

"We never thought this'd happen again… not after losing M'Lynn and Austin this way. It took years to tell Aidan everything about that night," said Ralph. "And now… she was so young, and some idiot cut her life short."

Dylan nodded and put a "consoling" hand on Ralph and Pam's shoulders. A few minutes later, a nurse came in. "Mr. and Mrs. Hinkley, she's ready. You can go see her," said the nurse simply.

Ralph and Pam nodded and slowly stood up to head out the door. Dylan followed, but the nurse stopped him. "I'm sorry, but family only," she said.

"I am family," said Dylan.

Ralph shook his head. "Dylan you're not, and rules are rules. Although Aidan was considering to have you as part of her family again, she didn't say she was certain. She was legally a Hinkley when she died and you're an Onyxsard, and she didn't want them to see her in the hospital if something happened to her. I have to respect her wishes." he said, then softened his voice. "Listen, Pam and I've got to make the funeral arrangements, and when we have everything ready, we'll let you know when the visitation is."

Dylan nodded as the two headed out the waiting room toward a room to see Aidan. He then went outside the hospital to his car. Getting inside, he smiled and gave a slight whoop of victory. "The little brat is dead," he said as he turned over the ignition. "Payday will be coming soon."


	9. Chapter 9

In the hospital, Ralph and Pam entered a room and went behind a partition put up a few feet from the doorway so the two could say goodbye in private. They found Aidan lying deathly still on the bed, in her regular clothes. The scrapes and cuts had been cleaned and her hair was wet.

Ralph and Pam then walked over to the bedside. "Ade…" said Ralph quietly, touching her face gently with his hand.

"Why did they have a student nurse clean me up? I felt ridiculous getting my face cleaned and hair washed," said Aidan, making a face and opening her eyes. She smiled when she saw the two.

"Hey, look at it this way, you look much better with your wet hair and clean face than all bloodied up and your eyes rolling up in their sockets," chided Ralph, who then shuddered at the memory. It had reminded him of that night when she hit her head on the desk at their house. 'If she didn't have the suit on when she was hit today…'

"That convincing huh?," she said, and the two nodded.

"Yes, but we knew you were acting. Now, as far as Dylan, we saw his reaction to your condition… smirking all the way," said Pam. "I've seen lawyers with that same sick look."

"That jackass. No respect for the injured or dead," said Aidan bluntly. "So, how did he take the bait?"

"Pardon the cliché, hook, line and sinker," said Ralph with a smile, only to frown when Aidan shook her head. "What do you mean 'no'? We did a good job pretending that you were gone."

"Well, not sinker yet. That'll be when he finds out that I'm alive and ready to show that money, especially wanting blood money, won't lead to happiness… just a trip to the hoosegow."

---------------------------------------------------

While for most the events seemed hectic, in reality Ralph and Pam knew that Aidan was all right all along. After the attack, there was a flurry of activity outside the Hinkley house as Ralph, Pam and Tony dashed over to Aidan. While Ralph and Pam knew she was wearing the suit, they weren't sure if she was unconscious… or worse. They had been fortunate that none of the neighbors had come out to see what had happened, or they'd really have fun trying to explain things.

Tony kept Ralph and Pam back as he kneeled to check her pulse. Aidan jerked back a bit at the touch, startling the agent. "Did you get the number of the train that hit me," she said, slightly muddled. She had a few scrapes and cuts on her face from the broken glass that had come down with her when she rolled off the car. Tony noticed then a glimpse of red under her shirt.

The other three sighed in relief that she was alive. "Are you all right Aidan?" asked Pam.

"Yeah just waiting for the caboose to come," she said wryly as she moved her legs just enough to test them.

Ralph, frowning slightly at her remark, wanted to be sure she was fully alert. She had done this one other time around him, and she really had a concussion. "You're weren't hit by a train Aidan, so no caboose," he said, chuckling to hide his concern. "Now, you know the drill… name, age, day and location."

"Aidan Hinkley, 28, Saturday afternoon, Los Angeles… lying on the ground in front of your house talking about trains."

Ralph smiled, knowing she was really just joking. "Good. Now did you…"

"Lose consciousness," she said the same time as Ralph did, and Aidan chuckled softly. "No, and guessing the next question, I feel fine considering a car ran me over. Now what?"

Pam looked around and smiled as she found the antenna. Carefully picking it up with one of Ralph's folded up handkerchiefs, she handed it over to Aidan. "See if you can get any vibes off this."

"Sure. Place it in my hand," said Aidan. Though slightly confused that Aidan didn't get up or grab the item, Pam did as she was told and put the item in Aidan's hand.

A holograph phased into view and solidified. "OK, I've something… it's the car, and Dylan's inside. He was the one who hit me," said Aidan roughly. "When I got the holograph of him on the phone, I didn't know where he was."

"Damn…" said Tony.

"Waitasec, I'm hearing something…"

_"Ya know, good thing that Jackson creep failed in his duties afterall,"_ said Dylan. _"Too easy and fun just to run her over like the bitch she is. Now, all I have to do is wait a few minutes to call those bastards about that little brat. If she's still alive…"_

"Why that dirty son of a …." said Aidan, only to have Ralph gently clamp a hand over her mouth.

Twitching her face slightly in annoyance, Ralph chuckled softly. Realizing, while most of the time she remembered, the friendly gesture to keep her personal comments to herself during the holograph so she didn't miss anything, she nodded as she listened in on the talk.

Once it faded, Aidan handed Pam back the antenna and Ralph uncovered her mouth. "What did you find out," she asked.

"Dylan's coming back to make sure that I'm either dead or nearly dead. He's going to call you guys and pretend to be concerned," said Aidan, who swallowed hard. "After he knows I'm 'dead,' he's going to try and get my inheritance."

Tony frowned. "Not if we stop him first. Any ideas Ade?"

"Well… one, but you guys aren't going to like it," she said hesitantly as she finally sat up and took off her shirt to reveal the tunic and cape. She then took them off, replacing it with the shirt, and then lay down on the ground again in the way she had fallen. "Pretend I'm out and call the paramedics..."

Ralph and Pam looked at each other and knew what she was thinking. Even Tony realized that Aidan was going to use the accident to their advantage. "Aidan, ya sure ya wanna do that?" he asked. "Ya know how you are with needles and such."

"Yes, or he won't stop and he'll go after Ralph and Pam," said Aidan.

"After us?" said Ralph, confused.

"Well, possibly if he thinks you guys have a hunch about the will, and that's why I haven't tried to follow him. If he thinks he's won, we can use this to our advantage."

Realizing what she was implying, Tony smiled. "OK, I gotcha Cub. Now … how badly injured do you want to be?"

"Enough that there's a scene here, and that I appear critical. Now, Ralph and Pam, you're going to need to be ready for anything you're told. Tony, you call Cyler and let him know that…" The other three listened in on Aidan's plan, and knew it'd take quick thinking and acting in order for it to work.

After discussing the issue, Tony called Cyler and filled him in on the situation. The head agent told Tony he'd contact the police and ambulance and explain to them the situation. Knowing about the suit, Cyler told them that Aidan had been shot, but was wearing a bulletproof vest. He then told them to claim that she was in a hit-and-run accident, as the person was so demented he thought that he also ran over Aidan.

As Tony was relaying the information to Cyler, Ralph and Pam acted as though Aidan had been seriously hurt and acting like worried godparents to keep up the ruse in case Dylan returned. Within a few minutes, the ambulance and officers were turning the corner and went through the steps of taking care of a critically injured woman. There was one exception to the ruse: She wasn't given an IV for real, as they knew she had the phobia and didn't want to reveal she was actually awake. After being loaded into the ambulance, it sped off toward the hospital.

Tony, Ralph and Pam followed the ambulance in Tony's car, when they heard Aidan's cell phone ring. Seeing it was Dylan's number, Ralph opened the phone and answered. Dylan, knowing he had injured Aidan, pretended to wonder what was taking her so long. Ralph convincingly told Dylan that Aidan was seriously injured and they were taking her to the hospital… not knowing if she'd survive. The young man asked Ralph where they were taking her, and Ralph told them. After hanging up the phone, they knew it would be only a matter of time before they heard from him.

Once the group arrived at the hospital, they continued their ruse, including having Tony call Cyler again to get a tail on Dylan's car, knowing he'd have a new one now to not arouse suspicion. This way they could follow the man to the end of the sting. Even Dr. Braden was in on the sting, having the orderlies, paramedics and doctors roll Aidan into a private room near the OR to give the illusion that she had gone into surgery.

After Aidan "died," the student nurse went into the room to appear as though she was cleaning Aidan up from the failed surgery. She cleaned and dressed Aidan's minor scrapes and cuts, and much to the young woman's disdain, the nurse rinsed off Aidan's hair to keep up with the ruse should someone not in the know entered. After she was done, the nurse left, leaving Aidan to wait for Ralph and Pam. Now that they had proven Dylan was guilty of the attack, all they had to do was wait until they caught Dylan in his own game of cat and mouse.


	10. Chapter 10

The next evening, after keeping Aidan in the hospital overnight so as to pretend she was still dead, the group went to the funeral home. Tony and Cyler had discussed the situation with the funeral director and let him know that if there were any damages that came about, the agency would pay for them.

Some flowers and plants were brought in as memorials for Aidan, and the parlor they were going to use was set up. Fortunately, the only other viewing had completed earlier in the day and the casket moved to the chapel for the next day's service, so no bystander would be harmed.

Later that evening, everything was in place to make it appear as though there was going to be a real visitation. However, there was one problem, and it was causing everyone grief.

"C'mon Ade, ya've gotta do it," said Tony for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Can't we just close it and say that I'm in there?" said Aidan as she tugged on the collar of her lavender blouse. The two had been in a standoff about her getting inside the casket for 10 minutes. Ralph was trying to be the mediator, while Pam was outside chatting with Cyler to make sure they arrested Dylan legally and without potential loopholes.

"Ade, ya gotta get in that coffin or the creep's gonna wonder," he said, growing tired of her stubbornness.

"Sweetheart, I hate - correct that, _really_ hate - to agree with Tony here, but you do need to lie in it," said Ralph. "Visitations are held to view the person, you know that."

"We had a visitation when Mom and Dad died, and you know we didn't see them."

"But that was different…"

"OK, but I was supposedly critical, and he didn't see my face," said Aidan.

Ralph sighed in frustration. "Don't try that one young lady. You know he saw your face in the ER, complete with you strapped to the backboard."

Aidan made a face, knowing he won that point. "But, you could say that you chose to have a closed casket."

"And how wouldja manage ta sneak up on the guy with the coffin all shiny-like?," said Tony, trying to make her see reason. "Listen Cub, get inside."

"Uh un, I'm not getting in that casket."

"Ade, you're gonna get in it, either the easy way or the hard way," said Tony bluntly. He was hoping for the easy way, which meant he wouldn't have to 'persuade' her.

"Try neither way. I'm tired of arguing with you Tony."

Tony looked at Ralph and Aidan, shrugging. "All right, me too…" he said, before throwing a right cross at her jaw. The punch connected …only Aidan didn't drop, and he recoiled in pain. "Ow, damn it…" he said, clutching his hand.

"Guess that was the hard way … for you," said Aidan with a slight smirk.

Ralph went over to look at Tony's hand, and had the man open and close a fist a few times. "Doesn't look like anything's broken," Ralph said, then shook his head in frustration. "Why did you try that? Ade's wearing the suit."

"The suit doesn't protect her head all the time, so I thought that with ya havin' a glass jaw, she'd have one too and…"

"Gave yourself a sprained hand and wrist," finished Ralph. "Tony, the suit might not protect her head well, but it does tend to protect the wearer from knockout blows to the jaw. I had people throw them at me when I wore the suit, and they ended up the same way. Must be something about her jaw being closer to its protection."

"Besides, I don't have a glass jaw," said Aidan. "Never have."

Tony made a fist again and winced in pain. "Now ya tell me…"

"Tony, I've told you that before, especially after the fight I had to control at the school once. The guys stopped only because they felt if they couldn't knock out a woman, there was no point in fighting," said Aidan as Ralph moved over to the other side of her. "Now, can we please just do a closed casket?"

Ralph shook his head gently, knowing she was as stubborn as her mother was. "Listen, Ade, please get in there, because otherwise Dylan will put two and two together and realize the truth. You said you wanted to stop him any way you could."

"Yes Ralph, but this wasn't one of those ways."

Noticing the time on the clock, he realized then he was going to have to use a stronger tactic. "Aidan Micah Hinkley, get inside right now, or I'll put you in there myself," he ordered.

Aidan looked down and shook her head. "Ralph, for the last time, no. The only way you're going to get me in there is if I'm passed out cold, and you can't …" she argued, only to pause when she felt a cold chill down her spine. The last time that happened was the day after she had her wisdom teeth taken out. …

The two men looked at her, confused as to why she stopped talking. "Ade?" said Ralph as she moved her glance up and looked at him almost eye-to-eye.

"Why you sorry, stupid …" Aidan's words trailed off as she fell backwards into Tony's arms, limp.

"Cub?" said Tony as he wrapped his arms around Aidan to keep her from hitting the ground.

"Aidan?" said Ralph as he lifted one of her eyelids to be sure. "She's out," he said, confused.

Tony did a double take as Aidan hadn't looked pale or faint before her collapse. "Uh, Mr. H… I thought ya said the suit protected her from knock out blows," he said, then looked at him curiously. "That is, unless ya got that Elephant pen out and showed it to her again."

"EpiPen, and no I don't have it. The last thing I'd do is anything that'd make her faint."

"Then, why was she calling ya sorry and stupid?" said Tony, hefting the woman in his arms so he had a better grip. He winced in pain when her arm hit his sprained wrist as he lifted her again.

Ralph remembered how she phrased her comment before the implied sarcasm. "You know, I don't think she was calling me 'sorry and stupid.' I think she was referring to the suit because she knew it was about to do this to her."

"What… ya sayin' the suit knocked her out?"

"Well, now I think about it, we know this has happened once before…"

"C'mon Mr. H, the only time I know she's fainted wearin' the jammies was at the dentist's when… ya mean that changing power that…" he said, and Ralph nodded.

"She did say 'the only way you're going to get me in there is if I'm passed out cold.' It's a change in her condition."

Tony shook his head, still in disbelief. "Huh. Here I go tryin' ta punch her lights out and she manages ta do it herself…"

Ralph shrugged then reluctantly picked up Aidan's feet. "Well, it makes it easier for us now, don't you agree?," he said, and Tony nodded. "C'mon, we'd better get her in there before she comes to."

"Right," said Tony as they carried her to the casket, placing her inside. As they closed the bottom lid, Pam entered. "Well, that took you three long enough. See, that wasn't so hard was it Aidan…" she said, but frowned when she didn't receive a response. "Ade?… Sweetheart?"

Pam shook Aidan's shoulder, and not receiving a response, lifted an eyelid. She grew angry at what she saw. "What did you do to her Tony?" said Pam threateningly.

"I did nuthin'. She's out because it was the suit's doin'."

Skeptical, Pam looked at Ralph, who nodded in confirmation. "That's what happened honey. She was talking to me, said that we couldn't get her inside the casket unless she was out cold and about 10 seconds later," he said, snapping his fingers. "It was like what happened to Tony when the suit was changing things."

Pam winced, remembering those few days in August herself. "That power was trouble, but I have to admit at least this time it worked well. Sounded like you three were really fighting about it," said Pam as she smoothed Aidan's hair.

"Yeah, and it isn't me who's on the ground," said Tony. "Now, question is, how long is she going to be out?"

Ralph checked the insensible woman's pulse. "Probably not too long, given what she said," he said just as he saw Aidan stir. When she bumped the sides of the casket with her elbows, she knew what she was inside. "Oh no…"

Ralph put a hand on her shoulder. "Ade…"

"Get me out of this, or I'll fly you to Antarctica," said Aidan, panic belying her threat.

While they loved her, Pam and Ralph realized that this time tough love was only going to work. "Aidan, you're going to be fine. No one is going to close this casket," said Ralph, giving her shoulder a firm squeeze.

Seeing Aidan's eyes open slightly, Pam covered them briefly with her hand. "Just keep your eyes closed and you'll be fine," she said softly. "Think of it as a bathtub. Ralph's right, no one's closing this casket like Dylan did to you then."

"What if someone does?"

"Ya've got the suit this time, and you can do your zombie impression and bust the coffin." said Tony chuckling at the picture of her doing it his head a few times.

Ade, remembering the cost of the casket, grimaced. "Cyler's really going to have fun trying to explain the cost if I do that."

"Well, it's less than the number of cars Bill trashed during his time in the FBI, and you two are still far from Bill's bet there," said Ralph as he looked at his watch. "Listen, 'visitation's' in four minutes. Just stay calm and don't breathe too fast or deeply. Otherwise, he'll know it's a setup."

Aidan nodded almost imperceptibly, and the other three got into their places for the visitation. There were already a couple of FBI agents in the foyer, pretending to be Pam's relatives in case something went wrong.

After a few minutes, Dylan entered the funeral home. 'Yes, I'm here to see Aidan," he said, and the caretaker nodded, showing him to the parlor.

"Dylan, glad you could make it," Ralph said quietly as he shook the man's hand.

"How are you holding up?"

"As well as we can," said Ralph. "It was hard enough when she was nine to not just deal with her parents' deaths, but everything she went through. Losing her again…"

"Again?"

"Yes, you see … it was my fault she lost her memory…"

Hearing Ralph's voice break trying to explain, Pam continued. "Well, no one on your side of the family really understood this, but Aidan was in an accident the same night as her parents and lost most of her memory of the day," she said. "After Ralph told Aidan her parents died in the car wreck, she fainted. Ralph couldn't catch her in time and she hit her head, and ended up in the hospital. She lost part of her memories from it, and never recovered all of them."

"Must've been rough, and then with the way we treated her, just because she was poor and the family didn't like her mom."

"She was poor, but only in money, not in love," said Ralph succinctly. "The only time she was wealthy was recently when she found out about an inheritance left to her."

"From whom?" said Dylan, feigning curiosity.

"Misha. She left Aidan a million dollars and a pendant. We read the will and found out that now that she's passed away, the money's going to charities and the pendant's going to a museum."

Pam and Ralph noticed a glint of anger in Dylan's eyes, but the man kept his head cool. "That was Grandmother, always wanting to help out others and making sure they got their money," said Dylan chuckling. "Aidan did pick up a lot of traits from her. I wish I hadn't listened to my parents and gave Aidan a better chance than I did. And now… it's too late."

Ralph and Pam nodded as an agent left the room to chat with Cyler. "Yes, but there's so many memories Pam and I'd be happy to share with you if you'd like. Ade definitely had a way of telling stories."

Dylan nodded. "I'd be happy to listen to them, but would it be all right for me to first spend some time with Aidan to say what I wanted to say to her all the time… alone?"

The two hesitated slightly, knowing Aidan was scared about being in the casket, but nodded. "All right, we'll let you have a couple of minutes alone, but then we need to let others pay their respects."

The man nodded and Ralph and Pam left, ducking into a nearby room where Tony, Cyler and the two other agents were looking at the events on a closed circuit TV. After Cyler told the other two agents to be on outside patrol, he turned to Ralph and Pam. "We've got the area surrounded in case he tries to escape," said Cyler.

"I doubt he gets out though when he finds out Ade's really with us, and has backup in the form of some fancy red underwear," said Tony.


	11. Chapter 11

After Ralph and Pam left the room, Dylan turned and looked at Aidan's still form, finally being able to laugh. "Rest in peace… bitch," he said sneering.

He turned around, wanting to relish this moment. "You know, I never wanted to see you again after everything your parents did to us. Your dad had everything going for him, then he married that hick you called your mom. Then, you came along."

Aidan had grew angry at the comments, but remained still, knowing his confession had to be on videotape. Unaware of the truth, Dylan continued. "I never wanted to be part of your family again, none of us wanted to even see you when you were born. We only gave you socks at Christmas because Grandmother said you had to get something or we got nothing. To bad Grandfather died when you were one, or even that'd been different. You were always her favorite, and while we all knew that, no one knew how much… well until I read the will."

Dylan leaned over to look at Aidan. He thought he saw Aidan's chest move, but after putting his hand on her stomach, he could tell he was just seeing things.

Aidan herself was confused as she thought that if he touched her, the truth would come out as she'd still be warm to the touch. The only thing she could think of was the suit was mimicking the room's cooler temperatures and helping her hold her breath longer to make it appear she was dead.

Hearing noises, including a shuddering sigh from touching a "corpse," she knew Dylan still believed in the ruse, and continued. "Grandmother was smart in trying to hide the fact you got a million dollars and that sapphire pendant while the rest of us got a few thousand and paltry trinkets. She was smart thinking about adding in the skipped portion of the will if you weren't there. Of course, no one thought you'd get anything …"

-----------------------------------------------------

In the other room, Ralph and Pam were getting upset at what Dylan was saying to Aidan. Ralph stood to head out the door, but was stopped by Tony. "Mr. H, ya can't go out there yet," he said.

"Yeah, Mr. H. As long as Aidan's not in danger, we need to wait," said Cyler. "Besides, you said she's got the suit on, and he's still fooled with her playing 'possum."

"Maybe, but she doesn't have to take this," he said, only to be stopped by Pam frowning and grabbing his arm. "Pamela, don't tell me you agree with them?"

"Not exactly, but he's right as far as going out there. If you do and say something before he confesses, we have no case," she said.

Ralph nodded. "All right, but not much longer," he said, and noticed Pam in thought. "What is it?"

"There's something else I've been thinking about."

"What honey?"

"Ralph, you've never told her you blamed yourself for her accident and not remembering that night."

The man frowned, realizing that she was right. "And I said that in the parlor," he said softly. "I'm going to have to tell her about that now. I just hope he confesses soon."

Cyler nodded grimly. "So do I. No one deserves this … even Villacana on his bad days."

"Hey, I wouldn't do this to a dog with rabies," said Tony. "I can't wait until I can bust this bum."

The other three nodded, and they continued listening to the confessing soliloquy in the other room.

-------------------------------------------

Unaware of the sting, Dylan continued basking in his victory. "They've been so dumb to not reread the will, but then again, they never called you family. I thought about it a few months ago, and decided to reread it. Sure enough, you got something: $1 million and that sapphire necklace everyone wanted. Told the family about it, but they didn't believe me as you were a ghost to them. Since it said I'd only get part of it if I was in your family again, well, I decided to come back.

"Now, the only question was, how to kill you without pointing the finger to me. Wasn't easy, as I didn't quite know where you were. Drove around Los Angeles and found Jackson at a club, pissed off that you helped stop him from beating up Ralph. He was ready and willing to help me out in my plan, but shame he never got it right. Misses running you over, but you saw it coming… well at least that time.

"When that failed, I looked at your medical records again and found that allergy of yours. I had a problem at first about how I'd have Jackson be able to use it on you, but then you invited me to dinner. Jackson had it down perfectly, getting in as a busboy and pouring that oil in your glass. I was counting the seconds it'd take for you to asphyxiate and die… but wish I had read further in your records and found out you carried epinephrine. When Ralph put that needle in you, I knew you'd probably make it, so back to the drawing board."

Inside the coffin, Aidan started to cramp up, and she desperately wanted to stretch out. She silently thought of ways to keep her mind off the soreness, and it worked. How long, she wasn't certain.

Ralph, Pam, Cyler and Tony were sitting on pins and needles, hoping he'd finally confess. They knew Aidan was getting to the point where she'd not be able to stay still and they'd have to move quickly. Fortunately, Dylan had turned around and was looking at the flowers, just in case something did happen.

"You know, Aidan, there was one thing that I was surprised about… you were a good fighter. Jackson was telling me about how you easily knocked him out in the water when he tried to drown you," he said, then chuckled. "He kept talking about a red suit, but I think he just went crazy realizing he was beaten by a girl. But, he was caught and put in jail so I had to take matters into my own hands…

He leaned toward the casket where his face was inches from the young woman's. Aidan held her breath, partially to keep the ruse a secret, but also because of what she was about to hear. "I ran you over, and this time, you didn't see it coming. I was going to cut your brake lines at your apartment, but you weren't there," he said. "Fortunately, I got that call from you and you said you were at their house. Then, you were just standing there, looking at the sky and I ran you over like some worthless dog. Seemed poetic justice: Your parents died in a car accident, then you joined them the same way. You don't know how much pleasure I got hearing you were critical or watching your godfather collapse in grief at his loss. But then again, he'd already lost his little witch of a sister, so losing her bastard daughter…."

----------------------------------------------------

"That son of a …" said Ralph at the comment. Of all the insults he had heard from the Onyxsards about Aidan, that was one that he really loathed. He knew that his sister and brother-in-law truly loved each other and waited until they were married. About a year after they were married, Aidan was conceived. Others on that side couldn't necessarily say the same.

Agreeing this had gone on long enough for Ralph, Pam and Aidan, Tony spoke up. "Can we bust him now," he asked.

Cyler nodded. "Just move in quickly and quietly. I know Aidan's got the suit on, but with her in the casket right now, she's got to be careful as well…"

Unbeknownst to both of them, Ralph had already gone out to the parlor, wanting to slug the guy for the hell he put Aidan and his family through.

----------------------------------------------------

"...And then, I heard the money and necklace were going to go to charities and the like. Shows how much your godparents really pay attention to wills. It says those you said were family get a cut, and you wanted me in your family. I can't wait to until they find out the truth about the money, so I can get it too…."

"When hell freezes over," said a new and male voice.

Smirking as he straightened up, Dylan turned around and saw Ralph in the doorway of the parlor. "Well, well, nice of you to join in on the chat," he said.

"Yeah, I bet," said Ralph. He went toward the man, barely controlling his temper. "Money? You did this for money?…"

"Yeah, I did, so what? She didn't deserve it, not after the grief the little brat caused us…"

"Grief? What did she do to you? She loved your family, and wanted to be part of it, ever since she was young. And how does your family treat her: bullying her, shunning her, treating her like a black sheep. Hell, you insult her even in death," Ralph said, his voice rising. "When she was injured when her parents died, only Misha gave a damn about how she was doing, even staying one day in the hospital at her side, ordering Pam and I to get some sleep so we didn't wind up as patients too. It was a mixed blessing Aidan didn't remember everything you said about her the week of the memorial service."

Inside the coffin, Aidan cringed at what she was hearing. While she had been told a majority of what happened during the time of her parents' deaths and service, she had a hunch Ralph had kept a few things from her. Even 19 years later, Ralph had kept most of his true feelings and opinions about the Onyxsards to himself that this surprised even her.

She kept quiet and listened, holding off intervening unless it was needed. From the sound of things, however, it was going to become necessary to use the suit's help. She just hoped she didn't say anything that would knock her out again.

Dylan continued, not knowing Aidan was eavesdropping. "Yeah, she kept asking what was going on, and she kept breaking down because we had to remind her that it was her parents who died. Weak, simple-minded… that's the way she behaved that week."

"What did you expect?! She was in a coma for 6 hours from that accident. Bad enough she wound up with amnesia, some of it permanently, the doctors weren't sure she'd avoid becoming an epileptic from the head injury. We weren't even sure when she fainted and was out for three minutes during the service. It was a bad accident."

"Yeah, an accident you caused when you didn't catch her," sneered Dylan. "Just shows that you are just as weak as your sister."

"I'll show you weak you …" said Ralph, starting to head toward the man. He froze when Dylan pulled a gun on him, complete with silencer.

Seeing Ralph's balk, Dylan smiled. "What, you didn't think I'd be ready in case you eavesdropped on my confession? I wanted to bask in my accomplishments… but it's not complete yet."

"What do you mean?"

"You and your wife are the only people standing in my way of half a million dollars… well more when I sell the pendant," he said, leveling his gun at Ralph's heart. "Say goodnight Ralph."

Before Dylan could pull the trigger, Tony barged in the room his gun trained on the man. "Freeze it, Dylan, Villacana - FBI. You're under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon, conspiring to commit murder…"

"… Commit murder, la dee da," he said, rolling his eyes. "You can't arrest me… you can't prove it."

"We've been listening to your little chat with the deceased," said Tony.

"Yes, my chat, face-to-face, which I can always claim I said something else," he said, not paying attention to what was going on behind him. "My family will back me up in a court of law, and I'll get away with murder… four cases now once I off you. After all dead men tell no tales."

"Well, sometimes they actually do tell tales," said a icy female voice. Shocked, Dylan turned around and saw Aidan sitting up in the coffin looking straight at him.

"You're dead! I touched you... you were cold," he said, shocked at what he was seeing. Too terrified to try and shoot her, he shoved her down in the coffin and closed the top, locking it.

"You shouldn't have done that," said Ralph simply, knowing how she was going to react now.

"Yeah, you know what happens when ya disturb the dead," said Tony.

Dylan laughed condescendingly at the others' reactions as he again raised the gun at Ralph. "I don't know what kind of game this is, but it doesn't matter. It's locked, she can't get out. Now to deal with some unfinished business…"

He was about to pull trigger again when there was a terrifying sound of wood shattering apart. Aidan had slammed the top of the coffin with her fists, punching out two holes with her hands. Dylan, hearing the noise, turned around and watched in horror as he saw the coffin practically disintegrate in front of him as she again hit the top of the casket's lid.

Aidan got out and faced the man while Ralph and Tony ducked for cover just in case shots were fired. "How the hell did you get out of that casket?" Dylan asked, stunned. He couldn't understand that a woman who died in the hospital, who he hit with his car and touched her cold, lifeless body, was destroying caskets and challenging him.

"You know what they say about ghosts. They'll haunt you for the rest of your life," she said sarcastically as she advanced.

Dylan smirked at her comments, took aim, and fired at Aidan. She put her arms up to protect her face, and deflected the bullet. Unfortunately, she move her arms up so fast, she tore the shirt, revealing the suit tunic and cape.

Although he was confused at seeing the suit, he was more concerned she was unharmed. Dylan started to panic and back away, but Aidan caught him and picked him up by the collar with one hand. She then grabbed the gun and squeezed it, compressing it into a lump of iron.

The man shook in terror as she then effortlessly walked him over to the corner of a wall, trapping him. He kicked at her, trying to get her to drop him, to no avail. "How did you survive this… everything?" he stammered as he reached into his pocket for his switchblade.

"With the help of my friends and those I love. You, however, are dead to me," she said, glaring at him.

"You'll always be dead to me, but for real," he said, unlatching the switchblade and taking a swing. Aidan stopped the blow and wrested the weapon out of his hand, dropping it. She then used her free hand to tap Dylan's head against the wall, rendering him unconscious.

Disgusted with everything the man had said to her, Aidan let go of Dylan's collar and let the man drop to the ground in a heap. She nodded to Tony to handcuff him and gave a whistle. Hearing the all clear, Pam and Cyler entered the room. "You guys all right," said Pam.

"We're fine. I was the only one hit by a bullet, but the suit protected me," said Aidan looking at the remains of her shirt. "Well, guess I've really turned into the Incredible Hulk here. Best shirt too."

"It can be replaced. Believe me, if I had a dollar for every shirt, jacket, tie, pair of pants, and so on I lost…" said Ralph as he handed her his jacket.

"You'd be a millionaire," said Aidan as she put on the jacket to hide what she could of the suit from the caretaker. "So, Cyler, did you get the evidence you needed?"

"Yes, and fortunately we have audio only for the part we'll need to turn into static as far as you in the suit," said Cyler. "I hate doing that, but I know no one can know about it."

"Better than putting me in the looney bin or worse," said Aidan, and the man chuckled.

Tony picked up Dylan's insensible form and hefted him over one of his shoulders. "I'm gonna take him to the truck and we can get out of this place," he said as he started to walk out the door.

Aidan walked over to Tony and stopped him. "Wait a second, Tony."

"OK, but ya'd better hurry. I can't pick up guys as easy as a feather like you can. What's up?"

"You know, I've been thinking. Why don't we put him in the casket until he comes to so he knows what it's like to have that prank pulled on him?"

"Uh, Cub, given what'cha been through, I understand where you're comin' from. But I don't think that's possible now," said Tony, pointing with his free hand. "You kinda sorta turned it into chopped suey."

"Oh, terrific," said Aidan, grimacing as she saw the remains of the coffin. "Uh… Cyler, about the casket…"

"It's fine. We'll find some explanation, if nothing else, you just had a burst of superhuman strength… uh from adrenaline," he said laughing.

"At least it will be the truth," said Aidan, and the group laughed. After Cyler and Tony left, it was only Aidan, Ralph and Pam in the room. Aidan turned to the two and gave them a hug, glad that they were all right.

When they finished, Aidan looked at Ralph. He knew that particular look, as it was one that they shared whenever she wanted to talk about her past. "Ade…" he started, but she put a hand up.

"Ralph, we can talk later. Right now, I'd like to go eat."

Pam shook her head in disbelief. "Even after everything that's happened, you want to eat?"

"Yeah… I'm starving. The hospital only gave me Jell-O and tomato soup for dinner … and breakfast … and lunch."

"You're exaggerating," said Ralph, but understood all too well how hospitals seemed to always be redundant in their food choices.

"Yes… but it sure felt that way. Now, let's see if Tony's done with his stuff and let's go to eat at the Magnolia. They gave us coupons for dinner on the house and this time I don't have to try an olive oil Coke."

The group chuckled and left the parlor, ready to continue on with life.


	12. Chapter 12

Three days later, the Hinkley home was bustling as a few guests and hosts were celebrating another case solved. Aidan, however, was lying on her back in the back yard, staring at the sky. While the city lights pretty much blocked out the stars most of the time, that particular night, there were quite a few visible.

Looking from behind the kitchen door, Ralph sighed. Pam recognized that particular sigh. "Ralph, you're going to have to talk to her sooner or later," she said. "Aidan's going to have quite a few questions."

"I know, hun, it's just, how do I explain it to her," he said. "It's been 19 years since they died and everything happened to her. I still have trouble talking about anything that happened that night. And now with her dealing with Dylan and what I said at the funeral home..."

"Listen, the only way you'll know is if you talk to her or let her talk to you."

"Still, what if she's angry with me keeping all the details from her..."

Tony frowned at seeing his old teacher so worried about something like this and interrupted. "Mr. H, you know as well as I do that the Cub doesn't hold grudges long. If she did, I'd get into hot water all the time."

"You're right there, but I don't know, given how she still will react before think..."

"Look, I saw she's not wearing the fancy underwear, so you don't have to worry about her knocking you into next week if she is upset with ya."

Ralph chuckled, realizing that Tony caught him in probably the biggest concern he had. Even though Aidan would protect her family and friends from harm, she did have a temper. "All right, I get your point," he said and opened the door out to the back.

Hearing the door open, Aidan propped herself up on her elbows to see who was coming out. "Hey Ralph, have a seat," she said, smiling. "I've been looking up at the stars. You can see Orion tonight. Pretty cool too considering how few you get to see around here."

"Yeah, you sure can. Still, it's nothing like it was in Wyoming that one time we visited you and there were all those stars. You know, when we'd all have dinner at that campfire, your mom and dad made the best ..." he said as he sat down, only to stop when he saw Aidan frown as she sat up completely. "I'm sorry sweetheart, I didn't mean to..."

"No Ralph, that's how I remember them, and want to remember them," she said, drawing up a knee and resting her chin on it. "Got an e-mail from the Onyxsards today."

"You did?" said Ralph, surprised. "What did they want? Did they want you to not press charges…"

"No, nothing like that. They said that they found out about what Dylan was doing, and they disapproved. Found out he was deep in gambling debts and he was going to use the money he got from my death to pay his bookies off."

"Killing because of his mistakes," said Ralph, shaking his head in disgust.

"Yeah, and they said while I'm not part of their family anymore, they weren't going to protect him this time. He went too far."

"What about your inheritance?"

"They're not going to go after it either. Since it's been in my security deposit box, they conceded it belongs to me. Even found out that Misha put it in the form of savings bonds, adding to it each year. Some of those bonds are mature and can be cashed, but I won't do that unless I need the money. Right now, I'm just glad that everything's straightened out."

Ralph nodded, and decided it was time to talk. "Listen Aidan, now that everything's done and Dylan's in jail, if you want to talk about what all happened the week of your parents' memorial service..."

"I don't want to know," she said simply, making Ralph blink in surprise.

"You don't want to know? What do you mean, you've been asking..."

Aidan smiled softly. "I know, but right now, it isn't a good time. It'll only bring back memories of the Onyxsards and the past few days. Besides, there's something else I've been thinking about, and it concerns you."

"What do you mean Ade?"

Aidan frowned, knowing this wouldn't be easy to ask. She knew Ralph was never totally comfortable telling her anything about that night, even present day. "I've been thinking about what you said at the funeral home about my accident. Do you blame yourself for what happened?"

Ralph didn't say anything, but his face said enough. Aidan continued. "Ralph, I've never blamed you for my missing memory. I mean, from what Pam's said, you didn't have time to catch me."

"Ade..."

"Come on, you and I both know that when I was younger, I didn't always react like a normal kid. Most of it was because of the way that side of the family treated me. Even that night I didn't. Instead of crying, I nodded... then collapsed."

"But still, I should've known you'd..."

"You couldn't, you know that. I want you to know that while I've wondered at times why you've never told me anything too specific about that night or the events afterward, I felt there was a reason," she said firmly. "When you talked about it the other day, I realized that part of it was you didn't want to hurt me. You didn't want to worry me about possibly becoming an epileptic or not remembering why we went to the funeral home several times. While I understand that, you were hurting yourself. Now that you've confessed it to me, that healing process can start to happen."

"Maybe, and I have to admit that the memory isn't as painful anymore, but it'll still take time for it to go away," said Ralph. "And, some of that pain will never go away. We all miss your mom and dad, and there were times that night Pam and I thought we'd lose you. And then, a few days ago, having to see you in a casket, even knowing you were alive, was tough on Pam and me. Even the bit with you pretending to be critically injured in the hospital was tough."

Aidan only nodded, knowing there was more to those comments than just that one event that night. While she didn't, and in some cases wouldn't, remember parts of it, as she grew older, she thought of what Ralph and Pam might've had to deal with that night: the trip to the hospital in the ambulance, hearing Aidan had a seizure in the emergency room, waiting the six hours it took for her to wake up in the hospital, going to the morgue to identify...

Ralph put an arm around her shoulders, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I'll tell you though, it was funny to see Dylan's reaction to you breaking open the coffin lid. I was quite surprised he didn't just faint from shock there."

"That'd been an interesting way to catch him."

"Yeah, but I don't get why he said that you felt cold. It wasn't that cold in the funeral home."

"Oh, that. I think the suit mimicked the temperatures and helped me hold my breath then to make me appear as a corpse when he touched me. Got warmer once I shattered the casket. But, I still can't believe I let the suit knock me out again…"

"I have to admit, it was odd seeing the suit do that to you because of what you said," said Ralph, chuckling. "Did you know that Tony accused me of showing you that EpiPen so you'd pass out? He even called it an Elephant pen."

"You don't carry that around, I do. And as you'd know, I tend to go out _only_ when I get the shot," she said, rolling her eyes. She then laughed. "Actually like that… Elephant pen. But it doesn't surprise me he thought that. We thought that the suit power died out after the sodium pentothal left my system. Guess we were wrong."

"Hey, at least it's sporadic, and you did have lingering effects from the epinephrine."

"It's a stimulant though, not a depressant. Should've made me Speed Racer or something… no, not Speed Racer. I think that title should still belong to the neighbor's cat."

The two laughed out loud as they heard someone coming toward the backyard. "Hey guys, dinner's ready," called Pam as she opened the door. "Why don't you come in sit down? You can talk more later, and I need to have someone else talk to Tony so he doesn't keep pestering me. I'm about to bash him over the head with a frying pan, he's getting aggravating."

"I'm not being aggravating Mrs. H, I'm trying to help ya out since Ralph and Micah are trying to figure out their past instead of helping cook."

"Tony, my name's Aidan," the young woman scolded Tony, making a face. "Either Aidan or Ade. Hell, I've even gotten used to Cub and Artie, but not Micah. I hate that."

Tony, realizing what he said, started backtracking. "Well, I thought I'd try something new, and I guess it came out wrong. Why not that one?"

"Easy Anthony," said Aidan with a slight smirk. "I don't want to be called by my middle name. Besides, you keep adding new names. Right now I never know if you're talking to me using my formal name, my nickname or why I have a bear pendant. And..."

"And what?"

"My name, Aidan, means fire… and if you ever call me Micah again, I'll use pyrokinesis to set your britches on fire."

Tony made a face, but chuckled in concession. After Aidan helped Ralph up, the group went inside to eat dinner, visiting with each other about life, past, present and future.


End file.
